NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas Inc. in a statement confirmed that the Metro Council and the Metro Industrial Development Board approved the firm's relocation package for its North American headquarters, which the firm said are the final approvals it needed on the local level.
Bridgestone will move into a larger structure in downtown Nashville, consolidating as many as 600 employees there from three other business units located elsewhere.
The firm confirmed that it is investing more than $200 million in its new headquarters and groundbreaking ceremonies are planned for January 2015. The firm plans to occupy the building by third quarter 2017.
“This process has been very positive and affirms for Bridgestone that we have built a deep and mutually beneficial relationship over the past 20 plus years between our company, the city of Nashville, the state of Tennessee and all our neighbors in the Middle Tennessee region,” Bridgestone Americas CEO Gary Garfield said in a statement.
The new building is planned to be 30-stories and 514,000 square feet adjacent to Bridgestone Arena and will house more than 1,700 employees—including 1,100 currently based in Nashville and 600 more from Bridgestone Retail Operations L.L.C., Firestone Building Products Co. L.L.C. and Firestone Industrial Products Co. L.L.C.
Bridgestone Retail Operations is based in Bloomingdale, Ill., while Firestone Building Products and Firestone Industrial Products are both based in Indianapolis.
“We are excited to be bringing 1,700 jobs to downtown Nashville,” Garfield said. “Our more than $200 million headquarters investment illustrates our faith and confidence in the bright future of this community. We look forward to meeting our continued commitments as a great neighbor and corporate citizen.”
Bridgestone selected Highwoods Properties Inc. to develop the new headquarters. Chicago-based Perkins + Will Inc. was selected to design the facility, which Bridgestone said is expected to be LEED Gold certified and reflect best practices in workplace space design.
Bridgestone said it has outgrown its leased headquarters facility near Nashville International Airport, where its lease is set to expire in late 2017.
Bridgestone opened its headquarters in Nashville in 1991, moving the bulk of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.'s administrative staff to Tennessee from Akron after parent firm Bridgestone Corp. bought Firestone in 1988.