Contact:
Cargill: Bill Brady, (952) 742-6608, Bill_Brady@cargill.com
Opus: Brittany Bayness, (952) 346-6117, bbayness@webershandwick.com
Opus Marks Topping Out of Excelsior Crossings' First Phase
Opus recently announced the topping out of the first phase of the Excelsior Crossings office campus, located on the northeast corner of Highway 169 and Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins, Minn. Nine months after commencing demolition on the project site, construction of the three-building, 700,000-square-foot office complex is progressing ahead of schedule.
Cargill is leasing the first two buildings and has a purchase agreement to buy the third making the project an all-Cargill campus. The first building will be a seven-story, 250,000-square-foot complex with a ground level skyway connecting it to the second five-story, 200,000-square-foot building. The buildings are slated for completion in summer of 2008 and 2010.
"We want to thank the construction workers and everyone else whose hard work is allowing this work to proceed ahead of schedule," said Cargill Vice President for Office Services John McCabe. "It was especially gratifying to see the evergreen tree placed atop the beam, symbolizing that the project has proceeded without injury. We look forward to next year when the first Cargill employees begin occupying this magnificent space."
The Excelsior Crossings campus, formerly a Supervalu warehouse site, will consolidate employees who are presently at several locations across the Twin Cities and will become the home of 1,700 Cargill employees by mid-2010.
“We are pleased to celebrate this milestone for the Excelsior Crossings campus," said Hopkins Mayor Gene Maxwell. “This project brings both a high-quality development and a well-respected company to our community."
Opus designed Excelsior Crossings to incorporate sustainable features that align with Cargill's business practices and corporate philosophy. Some sustainable elements include developing on an old warehouse site that needed contamination clean-up in order to reuse the area, bringing selected construction materials in from no more than 500 miles away, and maximizing lighting efficiency with more than 90 percent of occupants having views to the exterior. When completed, Excelsior Crossings will seek LEED® Gold certification.
“We are proud of the rapid progress Opus has made on the Excelsior Crossings project," said Tom Shaver, vice president of real estate at Opus Northwest. “The combination of hard work and the fortune of good weather has resulted in being ahead of schedule for reaching this project milestone. With great partnerships with the city of Hopkins and Cargill, we are one step closer to making this project a reality.”
Opus Northwest, L.L.C. is headquartered in Minneapolis, with offices in Denver, Kansas City, Mo., Portland, Ore., Seattle and St. Louis, and is one of five regional companies within The Opus Group. Opus Northwest has developed more than 83 million square feet and currently has 8.9 million square feet in planning or under development. The Opus Group, based in Minneapolis, is a $2.1 billion premier, full-service real estate development company with nearly 55 years experience. Specializing in office, industrial, retail, multifamily, government and institutional development, The Opus Group has completed more than 2,375 projects and 228 million square feet and currently has 34 million square feet in planning or development. Opus employs 2,100 people in 28 offices in the United States and Canada. A community steward since its inception, The Opus Group is committed to the long-term development of people and communities by contributing 10 percent of its pre-tax profits to community organizations. For more information, visit www.opuscorp.com.
Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 153,000 employees in 66 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.
Editors Note: If interested in an artist rendering or photo of the topping out ceremony, please contact Brittany Bayness at 952-346-6117 or bbayness@webershandwick.com.