Badger Mutual Insurance Co. plans to move its corporate headquarters from Milwaukee’s south side to The 42 in the city’s downtown Brewery District.
According to a news release, the regional insurance provider will move approximately 90 employees into its new space at The Factory Office Suites at The 42 next summer, once design and construction work is completed.
Badger Mutual’s headquarters is currently located in a 72-year-old building at 1635 W. National Ave. Kathy Bubeck, Badger Mutual vice president of claims, said the company plans to sell the building and is in discussions with a potential buyer. The name of the buyer was not disclosed.
The deal with Badger Mutual means The Factory Office Suites are now fully leased, according to the release.
Badger Mutual’s new 20,000-square-foot office space will be on both the first and second floors at the northeast corner of the building. This makes up about one-third of The Factory Office Suites’ roughly 60,000 square feet of space. It will also offer views overlooking the Brewery District and the nearby Fiserv Forum.
Dan Nigro, president of Badger Mutual, said his firm chose The 42 for a number of reasons.
“The 42 is a perfect fit for us in terms of size, location, accessibility, and design — cultivating innovative, inspiring energy I am excited to bring to the Badger Mutual team as a new president,” he said in the release.
Badger Mutual joins other office tenants, such as Hanover, Maryland-based technology services provider TEKsystems. The firm announced in August it was leasing 15,300 square feet at The 42 and bringing as many as 145 jobs to downtown. And in January, Milwaukee-based digital marketing firm Crescendo Collective said it was leasing 8,700 square feet, moving its offices there from Walker’s Point.
The 42 is also home to the MKE Brewing Co. 9th St. Brewery, the Glass + Griddle brewpub and Venue Forty-Two event space.
The 42 is a mixed-use development at the former Pabst Brewery complex. It was developed and is owned by Bull & A Boy LLC, which is in turn owned by developer and real estate investor Scott Lurie of Milwaukee-based F Street Group.
“Our goal from the outset was to create an environment where our tenants would be able to attract and retain top talent from the city and surrounding areas,” Lurie said in the release. “Our involvement with the community and our ability to draw visitors to the area helps to reinforce those efforts. Badger Mutual will be a great fit to the building and will help to bolster the strong mix of companies and the culture at The Factory Office Suites.”
