Hoosier Energy Board OKs relocation

A proposed site for the new Hoosier Energy headquarters in Bloomington was approved by the company’s board of directors at its March 28 board meeting.

Hoosier Energy, a generation and transmission cooperative headquartered in Bloomington, provides electrical power to 18 electric distribution cooperatives.

The new location will be in an 83,000-square-foot building on Tapp Road near State Road 37. Hoosier Energy, which plans to invest $27 million in the project, is currently located on State Road 37 near the north side of Bloomington. The new location will have about 115 full-time employees, according to a press release.

“Hoosier Energy has a long and successful history in the community and we’re very pleased that we will continue to be part of Bloomington,” Steve Smith, chief executive officer, said in a press release. “The new facility will allow us to locate all employees at a single location, operate more efficiently, and meet our needs for many years to come.”

The Bloomington City Council enacted a tax abatement, the exemption of paying tasks for a given period of time, for the relocation.

“This is the outcome we had hoped for,” Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said in a press release. “With the support of the City’s Economic Development Commission and the City Council, Bloomington is able to retain these quality jobs and Hoosier Energy’s corporate headquarters and a sustainably built headquarters at that.”

Hoosier Energy plans to look at a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the building.

“A building LEED certified will also be more energy efficient and will be designed to utilize things such as natural lighting,” Danise Alano-Martin, director of economic and sustainable development for Bloomington, said in January. “There’s a number of great benefits of green buildings, and LEED certification is one of the more popular standards that people try to achieve.”

Construction is expected to begin this summer and end in late 2014.  

— Matt Stefanski