Kohler Credit Union plans to build a new 30,000-square-foot headquarters in the Town of Sheboygan, north of the village of Kohler.
The credit union plans to retain its existing 13,800-square-foot leased headquarters space at 850 Woodlake Road in Kohler, which also has a branch office, said Laura Gabrielse, senior vice president of communications and community development. Most of the staff there would be moved into the new headquarters, which will house about 80 employees to start.
Kohler plans to begin construction on the project in spring 2019, and open the new headquarters in summer 2020, Gabrielse said.
The new headquarters would not include a branch office, she said.
“It’ll be for the most part administrative and back office employees,” she said. “We will also house our financial services program there, as well.”
The company filed a water permit application this week with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the construction of the project at a 4.3-acre site at the southwest corner of the intersection of Superior Avenue (County Highway O) and Highland Drive (County Highway Y). KCU purchased part of the land in 2000 and added two additional properties in 2017 and 2018.
The development would include a two-story administration building, a storage garage, drive-thru lanes, sidewalks, more than 120 parking stalls and a stormwater basin. The DNR application indicates about 6,740 square feet of wetland would be disturbed by the project.
Kohler Credit Union has about 120 FTE employees, and plans to hire more employees to keep up with its growth, though Gabrielse declined to disclose specific hiring plans. It has eight branch offices, and some staff are scattered among them because it has run out of space at the headquarters, according to the DNR application.
“Construction of a new facility will enable KCU to allow their administrative staff to work in the same building, which will improve communication, collaboration and productivity,” the application says. “It will also help to position KCU as an employer of choice by providing a state-of-the-art facility to help attract top talent.”
The investment in the project was not disclosed. Kohler is working with Milwaukee design-build firm La Macchia Group LLC on the project.
