Elevator company TKE opens towering headquarters in Cobb County
The North American headquarters of TK Elevator officially opened in Cobb County Wednesday.
The campus, which includes three buildings in The Battery, includes a 420-foot test elevator, the tallest on the continent. TKE chief executive Kevin Lavalee says that’s a departure from where test elevators are normally placed.
“We didn’t want to be that. We wanted to be bold,” he said.
The tower looms over Cobb County and offers panoramic views of metro Atlanta, plus a birds-eye view of Truist Park.
More importantly from an economic development perspective, TKE says the headquarters brings 900 engineering, IT, administration and training jobs to town. Lavalee says they’re focused on recruiting locally.
“When it came to North America where we were picking, Atlanta wasn’t the cheapest. It wasn’t. But sometimes you get what you pay for,” said Lavalee. “It was the schools. Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, and I’m leaving out some good schools here, but great universities to bring from the STEM side.”
Gov. Brian Kemp, who spoke at a reception Wednesday evening marking the opening of the headquarters, says the state’s workforce continues to be its strength.
“That is the number one issue across the country right now and everybody is struggling with that. Thankfully, we’re doing better than most,” said Kemp.
Kemp says having the tallest elevator test tower in North America is “something else to be proud of.”
“It’s a big deal when you get somebody’s corporate headquarters,” said Kemp. “We really get excited about that.”
Katie Kirkpatrick, the CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce says the tower adds to the region’s skyline.
“You can see this from everywhere and then you’ll be able to go up to the 27th floor and you’ll be able to see all of metro Atlanta and maybe beyond,” said Kirkpatrick. “And I think that’s truly an amazing feat.”
The new headquarters took five years to build at a cost of more than $250 million. Because of the building’s height, the company had to get clearance from nearby Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
The ground floor of the tower includes an interactive display meant to educate young students interested in STEM education.
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