Sammons Financial Group headquarters designed for collaboration, security and growth
Photos by Duane Tinkey
Sammons Financial Group completed its new campus in November at 8300 Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. The company had been looking at building a new space for a number of years to enhance a collaborative culture and maintain security. It also was built with future growth in mind.
At the time of the Business Record’s tour of the new space, the company was working on getting some workspaces ready for part of its workforce to return to the office with a phased-in approach to allow employees to be spaced out with barriers to limit the spread of coronavirus. The company’s leaders hope to have its more than 600 employees back in the building when it’s safe to do so. The building, with 217,000 square feet of office space, was built with a capacity of 800 because of growth the company projects, said Rob TeKolste, president of Sammons Independent Annuity Group and the company’s West Des Moines site leader.
The campus – which includes 30 acres of land, walking trails and outdoor event space for company gatherings – is home to the member companies of Sammons’ annuity, life insurance and retirement product business lines. Some of the land could be used for an additional building if necessary in the future.
Several areas for dining and collaboration are woven into the building’s design. There is a main cafeteria and snack area, but several other spaces are available throughout the building.
Building the campus required 1,500 tons of structural steel framing and 14,000 cubic yards of concrete.
The building uses architectural features to create an open environment, while also keeping certain areas more secure for employee and client protection. Art throughout the building was all created by Iowa artists.
One acre of glass was used in construction of the building. Natural light is a main feature. Dynamic glass was used on the windows to help offer a brighter tint or to filter out harsh lighting as needed.