Headquarters

History

In late November 2012 the foundation staff moved into a new headquarters facility. The building replaces one destroyed by a fire in January 2011, which required employees to work in temporary offices spread out across the foundation’s far-flung campus. “I’m extremely proud of how our staff rallied and adapted during the interim,” says Darlene Lowe, “but it’s wonderful to be back under one roof again.”

Located closer to the foundation’s entrance at 58220 Decatur Road, the new headquarters building has numerous energy-efficient features, such as a geothermal heating and cooling system, lighting that’s activated by motion sensors, and a computerized management system that controls many of the building’s mechanical systems. Although the new building is about the same size as the old one (13,000 square feet), its interior design and circular traffic flow make it feel more spacious and enable greater interaction for employees. The old headquarters building was originally built in the late 1970s as a barn for a black angus cattle program that Ed Lowe developed. “Even though we expanded and renovated that building over the years, the new HQ is quite a step up,” explains Jon VanSchoick, manager of facilities maintenance. “Instead of trying to adapt a building, this facility has been designed specifically for our needs from the get-go.”