Neal Spencer, BKD, LLP chief executive officer, announces BKD has moved into its new building in downtown Springfield.  The four-story office building, approximately 109,000 sf, at the southwest corner of East St. Louis Street and John Q. Hammons Parkway, was constructed by the Kansas City office of Opus Northwest and has approximately 22,000 sf available for lease.  This building houses the BKD Springfield office and the firm’s national office headquarters.  Approximately 325 BKD personnel have occupied the second, third and fourth floors with the ground floor open for occupancy by outside businesses.  BKD has moved from eight of the 22 floors in Hammons Tower, where the firm was one of the first tenants when the tower opened in 1987. 

Opus became involved in this project in July of 2007, as the City of Springfield and BKD began a process of selecting a new location.  “One of the reasons we selected Opus was their promise to help us create a building unique to BKD that would reflect the “BKD experience” and our PRIDE values.  Their innovative design of our PRIDE wall incorporates quotes from five of our executive leadership team and what that value means to them or how they express that value through their daily work, as well as showcasing past PRIDE award recipients,” said Neal Spencer, BKD, LLP chief executive officer.  “Opus mirrored our promise of unmatched client service by delivering this building on time, on budget, fueled by their passion for the job, respect for our team, showing integrity in their contractor choices, discipline to meet the timeline, all while striving for excellence at every turn.  We couldn’t have made a better choice!”

Opus is a national leader in sustainable development, with more than 20 million square feet of sustainable and LEED® certified projects completed or under development.  “The Kansas City office alone has five LEED accredited professionals,” said Oscar Healy, director of construction for Opus Northwest in Kansas City.  Many green features will help the new building achieve LEED Core & Shell Silver Certification, meaning it will meet green building performance measures for lowering operating cost, reducing waste sent to landfills, conserving water and energy, and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. 

This LEED Silver certified building features low-emission vehicle parking spaces, bicycle storage and showers, low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy efficient heating and air systems, water efficient landscaping, a white roof designed to reduce urban heat, internal recycling collection sites, and motion sensitive lights.  Other internal programs include, plastic and aluminum recycling, toner cartridge recycling, and paper shredding and recycling.  Additionally, greater than 75% of the construction waste was salvaged or recycled.

The site for the new office building was purchased from John Q. Hammons and sits in what had been the northeast parking lot of The University Plaza Hotel.  “From the initial introduction through the negotiation process, the design phase, the construction period, through their recent move in and now going forward, the Opus team has thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated BKD’s team, their efforts, their commitment to Downtown Springfield and their professionalism,” said Dave Harrison, vice president and general manager for Opus Northwest in Kansas City.  Their vision for their corporate headquarters in location, quality, and style have culminated in the building that you see completed today.  We wish them ongoing success as a leader in their industry and look forward to a long and mutually successful relationship with them.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to be in our new building,” says John Wanamaker, Managing Partner of the Springfield, Branson and Joplin BKD offices.  “The building itself not only meets, but exceeds our expectations with respect to functionality, spaciousness and atmosphere.  And I would like to thank David Harrison, Bret Sheffield, Ryan Zink and the entire Opus team for making this possible.  Opus said from the beginning that they would build us a signature national corporate headquarters and do it in a ten month period - And they did!  I have been extremely pleased and impressed with how Opus has managed this project from start to finish and would highly recommend them to anyone.  This will be a great home for us for many years to come!”

About
Opus Northwest, L.L.C:
Opus Northwest, L.L.C., is headquartered in Minneapolis, with offices in Denver, Kansas City, Portland, Ore., Seattle, and St. Louis, and is a full-service design-build development firm serving the northwestern region of the United States. With in-house expertise in office, industrial, retail, multifamily, government, and institutional projects, Opus Northwest has developed more than 84 million square feet of space since starting operations in 1974. Committed to creating great real estate, Opus implements best practices in sustainable design and construction to maximize building performance and reduce environmental impact. For more information, visit www.opuscorp.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/opuscorp.

About
BKD:
BKD is a top-tier U.S. CPA and advisory firm that delivers its experience and service with a deep understanding of your business, your needs, and what it takes to improve your business performance.  BKD’s approximately 2,000 personnel, including approximately 250 partners, are based in 32 offices serving clients in 50 states.  To learn more, visit www.bkd.com