Sentry broke ground Thursday, June 22, for a new seven-story, 270,000-square-foot office building at 1501 Northpoint Drive, Stevens Point, on the former Holiday Inn site.

Sentry bought the Holiday Inn six years ago and demolished the building without a set plan for its future use but a healthy confidence in the company’s growth.

“Six years ago, we purchased this property, and we purchased this property not knowing what we would do with it, but having the confidence that Sentry would grow and that we would use this space effectively. We love the location with its signature view of our home office, and we knew we would eventually find the right role for it,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry president, chair and CEO.

The building, located on the southwest corner of Division Street and Northpoint Drive, will feature customizable office spaces, along with meeting and conference rooms. It will include an on-site cafeteria, fitness and wellness centers and health services. The complex will also include a four-story parking ramp, terrace and gardens and indoor/outdoor spaces for associates to take breaks.

Site preparation work began in 2016. J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., a Madison-based company, will oversee construction. The building and campus was designed by Flad Architects of Madison, the same company that designed the Sentry headquarters, which was built in 1977.

“It’s expected that approximately 500 local Sentry associates will move into the building by the end of 2018. Then they will be joined by other associates that we hire as part of our long-term planned growth,” said Ken Erler, Sentry’s chief administrative officer.

Sentry, which currently employs approximately 2,500 people locally, doesn’t have specific plans yet for which of its departments will fill the building, as the company’s growing needs are fluid, but officials said new employees will be hired as its national growth requires more local support staff.

“We are pleased to partner with J.H. Findorff and Son, and Flad and Associates,” Erler said. “We’re confident the design and craftsmanship of the office will result in a facility that will delight Sentry associates, and be a source of pride for the community.

“We’re confident that the design and craftsmanship of this building will be a treasure for the community and a delight for the Sentry associates that occupy it,” Erler said.

“Recently, Forbes Magazine ranked Sentry as one of America’s best mid-sized employers. We appreciate our efforts to attract and retain talented associates being recognized,” Erler said. “Pete McPartland … has made it his goal to enhance and strengthen the vitality of Sentry’s business. This state-of-the-art building will give us much needed space and set the stage for future growth.”

“A few years ago, as Ken Erler started to lead the process of looking at all aspects of Sentry’s facilities, both locally and around the country, we started to see a few things and believe a few things very clearly,” said McPartland. “One was that Sentry’s growth would continue on into the future, that we (would need to put) in place the capability for sustained growth as an insurance company on a nation-wide basis.

“We also recognized that we need to compete for talent in this bold employment environment that we’re in. Not only to compete for talent, but make sure the work environment that we’ve created retains talent,” he said.

“Sentry’s home office has greeted visitors to Stevens Point since 1977. Now, with a new building on this site, visitors to the city will soon have a very different perspective of Stevens Point. We’re happy to play a part in the redevelopment of North Division Street,” Erler said.

“The North Division Street area has been a focus of ours for quite some time, looking at ways we can redevelop that area and integrate it more into the city because it is an entrance. This fabulous new building is going to give us an anchor to kick that off,” said Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza.

“Through some research done commemorating Portage County’s role in WWI, we learned that Carl Jacobs – son of P.J. (Jacobs) – made the decision to keep Sentry (then Hardware Dealers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Wisconsin) in our community in 1927,” said Todd Kuckkahn, executive director of the Portage County Business Council. “Sentry has obviously had incredible growth since that time, and during each decision point along the way our community has growth right along with Sentry. It’s a great partnership and this community is the right place for this new facility.

“In the Business Council’s role as an economic development organization, our top priority is talent attraction and retention. This facility is another beacon in community to that priority,” Kuckkahn said.

Heavy construction will take place during the remainder of the summer with the project timeline calling for the building and campus to be complete in late 2018.