Assurant moves Plymouth staff

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - by Sam Black Staff writer

March 26, 2010 – Assurant Health has signed a lease at the Plymouth Corporate Center and plans to move about 400 employees there from another Plymouth building.

Workers will move into 70,650 square feet on the building’s second floor in October, said Kris Harris, senior director of Carlson Real Estate Co., which owns the building.

Carlson will start construction in the next month on the space. Edina-based BDH & Young Space Design is the architect. A general contractor hasn’t yet been hired.

Assurant Health was attracted to the space because of the cost of the lease and a strong package of tenant amenities — the building has a convenience store, cafe, fitness center, on-site childcare and large common areas, Harris said.

Carlson spent about $5 million in 2009 to convert the building for multitenant use.

With Assurant Health, the 630,000-square foot building will be 78 percent leased, with 128,000 square feet available. Carlson-related companies occupy about half of the building.

Assurant Health is moving from 9955 59th Ave. N., a 10-year-old building in Plymouth’s Bass Creek Business Park. Assurant’s lease there expires in October. Milwaukee-based Assurant Health is part of New York-based Assurant Inc.

Mark Evenson and Rory Johnson, in the Minneapolis office of Chicago-based UGL Equis, represented Assurant Health.

Carlson was represented by brokers Jim Freytag and David Marschinke, who work in the Bloomington office of Los Angeles-based CB Richard Ellis Inc.

Carlson Real Estate Company is an affiliate of Carlson, a global group of integrated companies providing hotel, marketing, restaurant and travel services directly to consumers, corporations and government entities. Carlson Real Estate Company is dedicated to developing long-term client relationships by operating with caring and integrity and providing innovative and accommodating solutions. Its portfolio of office and flex/industrial space concentrated in Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina exceeds 6 million combined square feet. For more information about Carlson Real Estate Company, visit www.carlsonrealestate.biz.