Sentry Insurance announced it plans to construct a new office building in Stevens Point kitty-corner to its national headquarters on the vacant lot where the former Ramada Inn, which Sentry purchased and demolished in 2011, was located.

The new complex will provide space for all of Sentry’s Stevens Point-based claims staff to work out of one location. Approximately 500 claims associates are located in offices throughout Stevens Point, including the historic Sentry-owned Strongs Avenue Building.

“We have outgrown the space in our Strongs location for our claims staff,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry’s chairman of the board, president and CEO. “This project will alleviate those space needs, bringing together all of our local claims staff at one modern, technologically-advanced claims complex. It also sets up the Strongs building to be repurposed to continue to play a major role for Sentry and the downtown community.”

Pending approval from the Stevens Point Plan Commission and Common Council, the new building will be located on the southwest corner of Division Street and North Point Drive. Sentry purchased the land in 2011 to meet future growth and office space needs. Site preparation work is scheduled to begin in 2016, with groundbreaking set for summer 2017.

J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc., a Madison company, has been selected as the construction manager.

The expansion reaffirms Sentry’s commitment to Stevens Point and central Wisconsin area, and the company’s forward-looking business plan, Sentry officials said.

“We are growing, through mergers and acquisitions and through organic growth,” said McPartland. “We remain committed to Stevens Point. Our 100-year plus history here, teamed with our hard-working and knowledgeable associates, means we believe in the future of this community.”

“This project is a win-win for Sentry and the greater Stevens Point community,” he said. “The new building will put an empty lot – which serves as an entrance to the city – to good use.”

Sentry has a long history in Stevens Point. Hardware Dealers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Wisconsin (now Sentry Insurance) moved from Berlin, Wis., to Stevens Point in 1912. Sentry has been a stalwart of Stevens Point and central Wisconsin ever since. More than 2,000 associates are employed by Sentry in the Stevens Point area.

Sentry plans to hire local and/or Wisconsin companies for the construction and renovation projects. As an ongoing project, Sentry will update the status as developments warrant.