Foxconn Technology Group is seeking proposals from design/build firms to modernize its planned innovation center in downtown Eau Claire.
The company says Foxconn Place Chippewa Valley at Haymarket Landing will be home to 150 employees who will work with Foxconn’s partners “to create and apply technological solutions in a real-world environment to meet the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.”
Foxconn wants the center to include a co-working space, elements that help create a “pipe-line” to attract and retain employees, an application area for Foxconn’s technology and an opportunity to build the company’s brand and culture.
“We hope to do our part to inject new energy that will support the ongoing development of the downtown area through the addition of employees at Foxconn Place Chippewa Valley and the partners, suppliers and other tech companies that will be drawn to this new regional technology hub,” said Alan Yeung, director of U.S. strategic initiatives for Foxconn.
Plans for the Haymarket Landing space have drawn criticism from some who expected a restaurant to go in that location as part of a redevelopment effort championed by the city, according to a report from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.
Foxconn is hoping to occupy the finished space as early as December. Yeung called the RFP “another step forward” in the company’s commitment to create innovation centers around the state. Foxconn announced in mid-July it would buy 15,000 square feet of co-working space at 200 Eau Claire St. in Haymarket Landing along with “The Grand” a six-story building at 204 E. Grand constructed in 1929.
“The Grand” was not included in Foxconn’s request for proposal announcement. The company said in July the building will be updated and converted into an incubator and laboratory for next-generation technological solutions.
In late June, the company announced a similar innovation center project in Green Bay. Foxconn is also establishing its North American headquarters in downtown Milwaukee at the 611 Building at 611 E. Wisconsin Ave. A request for proposals for upgrades to the 611 Building was issued in July with a selection expected this month.
Foxconn says it will give preference to firms with a strong Wisconsin connection or track record for both design projects.
Proposals for the Eau Claire project are due by 10 a.m. Sept. 27. An information session is planned for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Pablo Center at the Confluence at 128 Graham Ave. in Eau Claire.
