Health Care REIT is making its move

The grand staircase is gone, and granite and wood are featured in the two-story lobby to help the 95 employees take in the ambiance, officials said. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

George Chapman, chief executive officer and chairman of Health Care REIT, said the changes focused on green energy and employee wellness. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Ninety-five employees, mostly from Health Care REIT's downtown Toledo office, will start working Tuesday at the colonial-style office complex revamped with contemporary features and a company sign to be posted at the gated Dorr Street entrance.

Movers today will begin relocating remaining items from the publicly traded real estate investment trust's leased offices in Fifth Third Center at One SeaGate.

On Dorr, the main building's renovated portico entrance now has double-mullioned windows resembling columns, and the two-story lobby inside has granite and wood instead of what had been a grand staircase. Conference rooms at the building's outer ends have more glass for viewing the 160-acre site. Other changes have been made in the three-building complex.

"There were significant changes made to make it more functional, and employees will be able to take in the ambiance," said George Chapman, chairman, chief executive, and president of Health Care REIT. "I think we did it pretty well."

Renovation estimates have ranged from $10 million to $12 million. Mr. Chapman yesterday declined to comment on remodeling costs, but he explained that no longer leasing downtown Toledo office space and lowered construction costs in the struggling economy helped make the project cost-effective.

"We really got a lot of value added out here in terms of the renovation cost," he said.

Health Care REIT, which owns a $6.9 billion portfolio of health-care real estate in 39 states, and Dana announced their relocation plans two years ago. Dana, an auto-parts supplier that emerged from bankruptcy in 2008, moved its headquarters last year to its Automotive Systems Technology Center in Maumee off of U.S. 23/I-475.

In keeping with its commitment to sustainability and wellness, Health Care REIT is adding a two-acre solar field on its Dorr Street campus to generate up to 20 percent of energy needed at its headquarters, Mr. Chapman said. On a patio area and green roof outside of the company's second-floor board room, hidden solar panels produce hot water, he said.

In the company cafeteria, meanwhile, 70 percent of offerings will be organic, and the headquarters has a fitness center for employees, Mr. Chapman said. Included on the grounds is a nearly one-mile walking path, and employees will decide other services and features, such as an organic vegetable garden, Mr. Chapman said.

Health Care REIT was founded in 1970 - the same year Dana moved into its mansionlike offices on Dorr Street and dedicated them to then-Chairman John "Jack" Martin.

In 1986, Health Care REIT moved to downtown Toledo from Lima, Ohio. Among the company's health-care properties, which it does not operate, are senior living communities, medical office buildings, and medical centers.

Some employees moving into the new headquarters are from a company office in Nashville, and some more could be relocated from there and Jupiter, Fla., Mr. Chapman said.

Health Care REIT this year has added 15 employees in Toledo and plans to hire five more, and the company continues to add 15 to 20 employees annually, he said.

It was a difficult decision to leave downtown, Mr. Chapman said, but the growing company is committed to Toledo. He added that this is a transition period for the firm, which may lease some space there.

Contact Julie M. McKinnon at:

jmckinnon@theblade.com

or 419-724-6087.