PHOTO: The 142,000 square foot four-story office building completes the final phase of the campus build out. Photo courtesy Burns & McDonnell
Burns & McDonnell celebrate completion of world headquarters
State and local elected officials joined Burns & McDonnell executives on June 16 to celebrate the opening of the final office building and parking garage at the company’s 34-acre world headquarters campus on the southwest quadrant of Ward Parkway and Wornall Rd.
The $42 million project includes a 550-stall parking garage and a 142,000 square foot four story office building that has room to accommodate 776 employees, increasing the capacity of the campus by 22 percent.
The opening was dedicated to the front line workers who put in over 134,000 hours constructing the project through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell, said the project utilized precautions such as daily temperature checks and staggered schedules to improve social distancing to meet his two main goals – to keep everyone safe and keep everyone working. He said nearly 70 persons worked on the project every day without any safety incidents.
“We’re proud of Missouri’s infrastructure workers who have continued to safely move essential projects forward even during this challenging, unprecedented time in our state,” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson.
Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr., also praised the workers who successfully completed the project through the midst of a pandemic.
Designed and built by Burns & McDonnell in partnership with Van Trust Real Estate, the project generated work for more than 50 Missouri and Kansas companies including nearly 30 minority and women-owned companies, surpassing initial goals for minority and women-owned firms’ participation.
Nilson Goes, president of Martin City based Infinite Energy Construction, a minority-owned firm, said, “We partner frequently with Burns & McDonnell on critical infrastructure projects which helps us build our business and our community.”
KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was glad to see Burns & McDonnell’s renewed investment in Kansas City and its ongoing work with small and locally owned businesses.
The Burns & McDonnell campus now has space to accommodate 4,339 employees. It includes 345 conference rooms, two auditoriums, a 20,000 square foot childcare center, a 2,500 square foot rooftop event space, full-service pharmacy, health center, fitness center, credit union and cafeteria.
Burns & McDonnell is a full service architectural, construction, consulting and engineering firm with approximately 7,600 employee-owners working out of over 55 offices around the globe.