City and state officials help celebrate opening of new Sentry office building
By Joe Bachman
Editor
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STEVENS POINT — Governor Tony Evers joined city, state, and business officials to help celebrate Sentry’s new state-of-the-art office building with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, March 11.
Located on the corner of Division Street and North Point Drive, the new 270,000 sq.foot office building will house up to 600 Sentry associates throughout its seven stories. These will house the Claims, National Accounts, and Transportation Departments.
“We know as a company we were growing,” said Sentry CEO Pete McPartland on the initial plans for the new building. “We knew we had room for more people, and that we would put this property to very good use.”
“We stand at seven stories, 270,000 square foot state-of-the-art structure that I’m told is almost surely the finest office building in Central Wisconsin, if not, well beyond.” he said.
Sentry hired Flad Architects out of Madison to design the structure, which is the same company who designed Sentry headquarters across the street in 1977. Heading up construction is J.H. Findorff & Son of Madison. In total, over 1,100 people worked on the building , or produced products for it, according to a Sentry press release.
“There is an exceptional level of quality and detail throughout the facility,” said Jeff Raasch, principal of Flad Architects in a press release. “I do believe this is a building that’s going to attract a lot of attention, not only in Central Wisconsin, but on a national level. It’s going to be a showstopper.”
“This new facility along with the commitment by all involved is another step toward an exciting and successful future,” said Rich Lynch, chairman of Findorff.
The new office building also boasts an on-site cafeteria and coffee shop, a wellness center, a three-story parking ramp, terrace and gardens, as well as additional meeting and conference rooms and customizable office spaces. Governor Tony Evers was on hand to speak to the many on hand on Sentry’s importance to the Stevens Point community, including sending nearly 3 million dollars to various charities across the state in 2017.
“As an employer of 2,500 employees here in Point and 2,700 across Wisconsin, Sentry pays more than $240 million dollars in payroll to Wisconsin-based associates and others,” said Evers. “It’s an important part of the economic development in Stevens Point, and all across our state. Sentry has not only employed Wisconsin residents, but has been an outstanding corporate citizen committed to strengthening the future.”
“What a great day to be in Point.” Evers later remarked.
Mayor Mike Wiza was also on hand to comment on the new building.
“One of the things that makes me very excited about the project is all of the sustainable inititives that were taken into account in this building,” said Wiza. “Having this as a showcase and an anchor for people coming to visit Stevens Point — being able to see this coming off the highway is just one of those things that like moths to a light bulb will get people here.”
The new facility, which features energy sustaining initiatives, as well as a focus on natural light, will move in new employees into the new offices later in the week.
“This building is our future — it shows us where we’re going and how far we’ve come,” said Elisha Robinson, Sentry Chief Planning Officer. “And that means a lot to both Sentry and Stevens Point. It’s a promise for the future, it’s a promise for success.”