Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut Announces Facilities Move

NORTH HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut (Anthem) announced today that they are moving their headquarters from North Haven to Wallingford in 2011. The company has signed a ten year lease with property landlord Workstage-Connecticut, LLC for space in the 300,000-square-foot office building, the Campus at Greenhill, located at 108 Leigus Road. The relocation plan will be in two phases; the first occurring in Sept. 2011, and the second and final phase in Sept. 2012. In all, Anthem will occupy 217,764 square feet of the campus.  

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"Anthem has been proud to serve the residents of Connecticut for more than 74 years, and we consider ourselves a vital part of the state's landscape," said David R. Fusco, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut. "This new facility represents our continuing commitment to, and investment in, Connecticut's business community. We will continue to provide our members with quality health care services and be the trusted choice for Connecticut's residents."

In September of 2007, Anthem pursued a sale lease-back real estate transaction with Quinnipiac University and sold its four commercial buildings, totaling 574,748 square feet, and 104-acre campus to the university. The sale allowed Anthem to maximize the company's economic resources by re-directing the capital invested in real estate property to help fulfill the core business goals and objectives of the corporation. Anthem currently leases the North Haven campus from Quinnipiac University.  The lease agreement allows for Anthem to occupy Buildings 2, 3 and 4 until September 2012.

"Anthem's move will enable Quinnipiac to move forward more expeditiously with its plans to open a medical school and relocate its other graduate programs to the North Haven Campus," said Mark Thompson, senior vice president for academic and student affairs at Quinnipiac University.

Commitment to Connecticut's Business Community

"Although we would have loved for Anthem to have stayed in North Haven, we are pleased that they are staying in the region and will continue to play an important role in the North Haven community," said North Haven's First Selectman Michael Freda. "They have been integrated into the fabric of North Haven and we hope to continue that relationship."

The Campus at Greenhill is a newly constructed, high performance, two-story, 300,000 square foot class A office green campus at the heart of central Connecticut's 1-91 corridor in Wallingford. The campus is located halfway between Hartford and New Haven, and is just six miles from the existing Anthem North Haven campus and will minimize any changes in commuting times for Anthem's employees.

"We are pleased that Anthem chose to remain within this region and to become a part of Wallingford's business community," said William W. Dickinson, Jr., Mayor of Wallingford. "Our town, our region and the company's own employees benefit by this decision and it provides for substantial use of one of our largest vacant office buildings.  We look forward to Anthem doing business in our community."

Designed originally as a call center for a mortgage lender, the shell of the building is finished, but the inside framework needs to be completed. Workstage-Connecticut, LLC, working on behalf of Anthem, will immediately begin working on finalizing the construction of the Campus at Greenhill.  Currently, the Owner, Architect, Contractor team are designing environmentally friendly exterior improvements.  All site and building modifications will require major construction completion of mechanical, electrical, plumbing and architectural elements.  A formal solicitation to area services providers is in development and negotiations will begin shortly.

"Anthem has been a great corporate citizen for our Quinnipiac Chamber area which covers North Haven and Wallingford.  We're very happy that this move keeps them in our service area,"   stated Quinnipiac Chamber President Robin Wilson. "Anthem Vice President Jim Augur is the Chairman of our Quinnipiac Chamber Board of Directors and based on both past experiences with their corporation and Jim's involvement with our chamber, I feel very confident that they will continue to support our communities and remain immersed in their mission of service and participation in North Haven and Wallingford."

Environmentally Conscious Campus  

Anthem is committed to using natural resources wisely, providing efficient working conditions for its employees, and reducing energy usage related to its global real estate operations. Developed using the latest in sustainable technologies, Campus at Greenhill is registered under the US Green Building Council LEED® program.  As a result, the campus offers a demonstrably more cost-efficient, flexible space that adapts to change and is one of the most environmentally responsible properties in Connecticut.  This will allow Anthem to lower its carbon footprint by consuming less power and operate in a facility that is more environmentally friendly than its current location in North Haven.

Some of the property highlights include:

• Expansive window lines with abundant natural light
• Under floor power, voice and data distribution with plug-and-play capability
• Innovative Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD) promotes better indoor air quality over traditional systems 40" bays on a 150,000 SF floor plate
• Lowest utility rates in Connecticut

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut is available at www.anthem.com.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut