After a years-long process, it is official.
International energy company Schneider Electric USA, which picked Cool Springs last year for its regional headquarters, is now moving into its new home in the Two Franklin Park tower at 6700 Tower Circle.
Turner Construction Company, which built Schneider’s six-floor, 150,000-square-foot offices in the building, announced this week it completed work.
More than 800 employees from Middle Tennessee will work in the Nashville-themed open-concept office.
The offices take up floors 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8, with additional renovation on floor 5 in preparation for future expansion. Construction began in April on the $11.2 million project, which Gresham Smith & Partners designed and engineered.
The state-of-the-art, virtually wireless regional office includes a data center, as well as an Innovation Hub where Schneider engineers will focus on improving, innovating and expanding existing and future product concepts. The office’s Nashville-themed, open-concept design lets employees move freely through a connected workspace. There is an abundance of formal and informal meeting spaces; multipurpose work cafes, with one conference room designed for large gatherings; and features that include a movable wall system and electric-vehicle charging stations. Millwork ceilings in the building’s entryways and exposed beams throughout contribute to the space’s modern aesthetic.
“We wanted a sophisticated workspace that gives our employees cutting-edge tools to help them do their jobs effectively,” said Jim Wright, Schneider Electric Real Estate Project Manager.
“This project is a perfect showcase of the strengths of our Special Projects Division,” said John Fleming, senior project manager at Turner in Nashville. “Working on an accelerated schedule is something we’re good at — and there’s nothing better than exceeding a client’s expectations. We’re very proud of this job.”
The offices were built out in just eight months; Schneider decided to locate its southeast corporate hub in Cool Springs in May 2016, after the county offered a tax incentive.
Several of Schneider Electric’s own solutions are also incorporated into the project, such as Energy Management, the Building Automation System and Access Control.
will open a regional headquarters in Franklin and bring nearly 1,200 jobs with it.
Governer Bill Haslam and the state’s Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd made the announcement in a press release Wednesday afternoon.
In June the county approved a little more than $2.1 million in property tax breaks spread over 10 years, to seal the deal. The break is pegged to job creation, though. Schneider, to get the full break, must create at least 912 jobs here; but the company and the county expect as many as 1,140 jobs to come out of the deal in time.
The Paris, France-based company will create high-paying positions, also: the average salary of the jobs, as per the agreement with the county, must be at least $73,000 per year plus benefits. Schneider, which might be most recognizable to Americans for its Square D products, is 180 years old and has 180,000 employees in more than 100 countries around the world. Its American headquarters are in Andover, Massachusetts.
“The state of Tennessee has long been a hub of innovation for Schneider Electric, and we are happy to maintain our strong commitment to the communities where we live and work,” said Annette Clayton, CEO and president of Schneider Electric North America. “Our new facility in Franklin will be our largest office in the country, creating an environment that encourages collaboration with customers and employees. The facility will be designed with the Schneider Electric vision of workplace collaboration and energy efficiency and will create a center of leadership and excellence.”
