MillerCoors Opens Its New Headquarters on the Banks of the Chicago River
After completing a record construction project in under six months, helped by more than $20 million in economic incentives from the City of Chicago and State of Illinois, MillerCoors opened its new Chicago headquarters today; nearly one year after the joint venture of two of America’s biggest, most-recognized brewers was finalized. The company brings 375 jobs to Chicago, along with a portfolio of some of the most popular beer brands available.
“We worked quickly to combine two large corporate offices and we could not have finished this amazing facility without the help of the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois,” said Leo Kiely, Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud that this is the new headquarters of what is going to become America’s Best Beer Company from one of America’s best cities, Chicago.”
The company selected Chicago as the corporate headquarters for a number of reasons, including a good quality of life; great access to transportation and a high caliber workforce; and because it is an international city with a 24-hour central business district.
“Chicago met all the criteria and most important it is a great beer town,” added Kiely.
Though MillerCoors wanted to build a spectacular space that would inspire people to impact results, the company wanted a green environment that would help reduce waste and energy costs.
In demonstration of its commitment to the environment, the redesign and build-out of the new MillerCoors headquarters was handled by VOA Associates and done with sustainable green building in mind.
• More than 90 percent of the construction waste was recycled.
• The space uses all energy efficient lighting with motion sensors to reduce energy costs.
• The offices feature an open space design that harvests 90 percent of daylight thereby further reducing energy usage.
• The space incorporates water use reduction and storage and collection of recyclables on each floor.
MillerCoors has submitted an application for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
The opening of the new headquarters also comes days before the release of the company’s first Sustainable Development report, which outlines its commitment to embedding sustainability in every aspect of the business.
In addition to its commitment to sustainable development, MillerCoors is planning to leverage its corporate social responsibility initiatives in Chicago with a focus on community investments and alcohol responsibility.
This fall, MillerCoors will launch its United Way employee giving campaign in partnership with United Way of Chicago. The company plans to match employee contributions and encourage its employees to volunteer with United Way agencies throughout Chicagoland. As a strong advocate for water quality and conservation, MillerCoors plans to support water stewardship in Chicago, as part of its long-term corporate social responsibility initiatives.
To promote its commitment to alcohol responsibility and help consumers plan ahead for a safe Fourth of July holiday, MillerCoors is providing cab vouchers in select venues all month through its partnership with 1-800-TAXICAB. In addition, MillerCoors will continue its initiatives to prevent drunk driving and is expanding its support for designated driver programs with sports teams in Chicago, including the Chicago Bears, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Fire, as well as during other major holidays including New Year’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
Though MillerCoors plans to be active in the Chicago community, Kiely said, “MillerCoors will continue to maintain significant operations at our office locations in Milwaukee and Golden and have been making multi-million dollar investments in both the Milwaukee, Wisc. and Golden, Colo. breweries.”
“These are the locations where we brew our great beers and it is in our best interest to make sure we will be making beer for generations to come,” he added.