Vision Real Estate Partners, Rubenstein Partners and MetLife hosted the official groundbreaking ceremony to kickoff construction of the new global headquarters for MetLife Investments.
Located at 67 Whippany Road in Hanover, NJ, the 185,000 s/f Class A build-to-suit office facility will accommodate 850 employees and marks significant growth of MetLife’s investments business in size, scope and scale, according to Steven J. Goulart, executive vice president and chief investment officer for MetLife.
Professionals from Cushman & Wakefield, which represented both the developers and the tenant in the lease transaction, joined in the ground breaking festivities
“The building is being crafted to meet the new generation of workforce standards with a sustainable, world-class, environment and a full amenity package for its regional employees,” noted Sam Morreale, founder and managing partner, Vision Real Estate Partners.
In addition, the building has been designed to sustainability standards for LEED Gold Core and Shell and LEED Platinum Interiors.
The headquarters will feature an open floor plan with collaborative workspaces and breakout rooms, a town hall with technologically advanced conference facilities, a fitness center, employee food court with indoor and outdoor seating, and café.
It will offer approximately 4.5 parking spaces per 1,000 feet of rentable area, through a combination of surface, structured and under building executive parking.
The groundbreaking also marked the launch of 67 Whippany Road’s 100-acre South Campus component. The 94-acre balance of the campus houses Bayer Healthcare’s new, 675,000 s/f East Coast headquarters.
Guests at the ground breaking event included MetLife’s Maureen O’Connor, VP, global facilities management, Brian Fox, chief marketing officer for investments, Reena Pally, chief of staff, Joseph Sprouls, EVP and head of global corporate services, Joseph Pollaro, senior managing director of global investment operations; Mayor Ronald Francioli; Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce; Steven J. Goulart, executive vice president and chief investment officer, MetLife; Sam Morreale, founder and managing partner, Vision Real Estate Partners; Eric Schiela, managing principal and chief operating officer, Rubenstein Partners; Cushman & Wakefield’s Bruce Mosler, chairman of Global Brokerage, and Robert Donnelly, vice chairman; and Rick Furches, director of development, Rubenstein Partners.
Rubenstein Partners and Vision Real Estate Partners continue to pursue further development of the remaining acreage in the South Campus section.
The joint venture partners intend to create a mixed-use environment, with retail, hospitality, residential and senior living uses possible to complement the corporate offices.
