West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 8, to celebrate the completion of the 214,000-square-foot expansion of the company’s corporate headquarters at 1900 S. 18th Ave. in West Bend. The expansion will provide enough space for 1,500 employees, which should suit the company’s needs until 2016. The company’s headquarters was completed in 1991, with enough space for 500 employees. The company has about twice that many working in the facility.
"The growth we’ve experienced in the last five years has been incredible," said Tony Warren, West Bend Mutual chief executive officer. "We have more than quadrupled our business. Facility expansion was absolutely necessary. As our company becomes larger, we need more people to provide our customers with the service they’ve come to expect." The expansion includes a 14,600-square-foot dining area, a 7,100-square-foot fitness center, a 25,000-square-foot training center, a 400-space parking structure, a West Bend Savings Bank branch and lactation rooms for nursing mothers.
The construction project began in July of 2006 and is expected to be complete by the middle of this month. Renovation work will be done to the original building for six months, through mid-October.
