Cincinnati Ohio Economic Development

RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY TO CELEBRATE COMPLETION OF BURKE, INC. CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

Cincinnati, OH—A celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony was held Thursday, August 12 at 10:00 a.m. to commemorate the completion of Burke, Inc.’s new corporate headquarters at 500 West 7th Street, downtown Cincinnati. Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. participated in the ceremony, which commemorated Burke’s purchase and redevelopment of the seven-acre property, formerly owned by Automatic Data Processing (ADP).

Burke received assistance from City the including help with a 12-year LEED-CRA property tax abatement. Over the last three years, the company has spent a combined $17.5 million on the project, including the purchase price of the property and construction costs. Burke has targeted LEED Gold level certification; when awarded, the company’s property will be one of six in the City of Cincinnati that are Gold certified.

When the company sought a more identifiable corporate headquarters, the company considered various locations in the region, including a number in northern Kentucky. Formerly a lessee at the Centennial Plaza complex on Central Avenue, once the right property came on the market, continuing a presence in downtown Cincinnati made sense to company executives. As a result, Burke has kept over 130 jobs within the City.

“Burke’s investment choice in the city shows again that Cincinnati makes good business sense, and their commitment to Gold LEED certification shows how reuse of existing building stock can be done well,” said City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr.
“Most options presented an inconvenience to some segment of our employee base in terms of commute time. Also many employees like the convenience of being near downtown where you can walk to stores and restaurants,” explained Dr. Michael Baumgardner, CEO. He added, “I have always thought this property was ideal for our headquarters. Its acreage provides a campus-like setting, and we would have ample parking for employees.”

Burke Location History 1930s

• Carew Tower, 42nd Floor 1950s
• Paramount Building (NE corner of Gilbert Avenue and McMillan Street)
• 2374 Kemper Lane (Walnut Hills) 1960s
• 1529 Madison Road 1970s
• 2600 Victory Parkway 1980s
• Some departments expanded into 2621 Victory Parkway
• Cincinnati Field Office moved to the Central Trust Building at 1501 Madison Road 1984 – 1991
• Owned Times-Star Building at 800 Broadway 1991 – 2010
• 805 Central Avenue (occupied a portion of 1st floor, all of 4th and 5th floors) 2010
• 500 West 7th Street

Founded in 1931, Burke is an independent, full service marketing research and decision support company. Burke capitalizes on its state-of-the-art research execution, advanced analytical techniques and leading edge technology to provide decision support solutions to companies across all major industry sectors. A 100% employee-owned company, Burke is also the industry leader in marketing research and consumer insights education through the Burke Institute, which has trained more than 70,000 participants from 10,000 companies, through more than 3,000 public and in-house customized marketing research seminars in 39 different countries. Burke is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with regional offices throughout the United States.

###

500 West 7th Street • Cincinnati, OH 45203
burke.com • phone | 513.241.5663 • fax | 513.684.7500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 11, 2010
For more information, please contact:
Andrea W. Fisher
513.684.7616
Andrea.fisher@burke.com