KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerner today announced the structural completion of the first two buildings at its seventh campus in the Kansas City area and the largest economic development project in Missouri history. Friday’s topping ceremony featured Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon, Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James, JE Dunn chairman Steve Dunn, Cerner executives, associates, site workers and community leaders.
“This marks significant progress for the project and completion of the structural framework for the first two office buildings on our new campus,” said Mike Nill, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Cerner. “This is an important milestone for the project, and we are honored to share this occasion with those who have supported the project and provided their services.”
A tradition in the construction industry, the final steel beam, which weighed 600 pounds and was adorned with American and Cerner flags, was signed by dignitaries, workers and members of the community. It was raised approximately 150 feet in the air and placed at the top of the 8-story second building.
“As the largest economic development project in Missouri history, we are extremely proud to join Cerner and our local partners to celebrate this tremendous milestone for the company and the Greater Kansas City area,” said Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon. “With the more than 4,000 construction jobs that will be created, we are already seeing the economic benefits of this project. Once complete, this campus will further accommodate Cerner’s growth and bring up to 16,000 new jobs to the area, strengthening Missouri’s position as a top destination for growing tech companies.”
“Today’s topping ceremony physically confirms Cerner’s place as one of Kansas City’s greatest business stories,” Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James said. “This building and this entire campus will be both a symbol of the Kansas City spirit of innovation and a great place to work.”
Guests also signed a second beam, which will be permanently displayed in the building to commemorate the efforts of the project’s construction workers.
“This ceremony is a builders' tradition recognizing the significant accomplishment of the last structural beam being put in place on a building,” said Steve Dunn, chairman at JE Dunn. “The topping out celebration marks the end of the structural work, and more importantly is a chance to celebrate the workers who have made the project possible.”
Nill announced the first buildings will house more than 3,000 engineers and was designed with open concepts and collaborative meeting spaces to encourage creativity, dynamic thinking and community.
Details for the first two campus buildings include:
- Building 1 (south building) is 11 floors and consists of nearly 500,000 square feet. This building will include a dining hall, café, training labs and nine floors of office space.
- Building 2 (north building) will stand eight floors and encompass more than 305,000 square feet. It will include amenities such as a pharmacy, associate gym, a user lab and six floors of office space.
- Both buildings will have open stairways, large project rooms and ‘nodes,’ themed areas for collaboration and individual use.
Campus construction began in late 2014, with completion of buildings 1 and 2 expected at the end of 2016. Two additional buildings, the link and service center, have broken ground and are in progress.
About Cerner
Cerner’s health information technologies connect people, information and systems at more than 20,000 facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help health care organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients’ clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities. For more information about Cerner, visit cerner.com, read our blog at cerner.com/blog, connect with us on Twitter at twitter.com/cerner and on Facebook at facebook.com/cerner. Our website, blog, Twitter account and Facebook page contain a significant amount of information about Cerner, including financial and other information for investors.