EWING, NJ- With New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in attendance, the Opus Group and Church & Dwight Co. broke ground on the latter’s new 250,000-square-foot corporate headquarters campus near Pennington Road and Interstate 95 here. Opus will design and build the campus, which will allow Church & Dwight to relocate from Princeton Borough and consolidate its offices.

The project will consist of two 125,000-square-foot Class A, energy-efficient office buildings to be designed and constructed with sustainable practices and elements. The buildings will be connected to allow for engagement and interaction. The buildings are expected to be complete by the end of 2012.

“The business incentives offered by the State of New Jersey played a significant role in our decision to keep our corporate headquarters in the state and made today’s groundbreaking  possible,” said Church & Dwight chairman and CEO James R. Craigie at the groundbreaking.  

Church & Dwight Co., Inc., founded in 1846, manufactures and markets a wide range of personal care, household and specialty products, under a number of trademarks, including Arm & Hammer.

“Church & Dwight has been an important part of New Jersey’s family of businesses for over three decades. This project directly benefits New Jerseyans by keeping nearly 1,000 jobs here, creating 130 new permanent jobs and hundreds of construction jobs. Across our state, job creators like Church & Dwight are responding to the positive changes we are making to grow our economy, while turning around the negative climate for job creators,” Christie said. 

Opus Development Corp. is the developer, Opus AE Group, Inc., is responsible for the building design, and Opus Design-Build, LLC will construct the building. SunTrust Bank is funding the project and an investment group led by Founders Properties, LLC will own the building under a long-term lease with Church & Dwight Co.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Church & Dwight Co., Inc., to design and build its new corporate headquarters,” said Dave Menke, senior vice president and general manager of Opus Development Corp. at the ground breaking. “Today’s event offered a chance to celebrate what this project means for Church & Dwight as well as acknowledge all of those involved in making this project a success.”