Garmin to Build 60,000-SF Center

CHANDLER, AZ-Garmin, which has had operations at the Chandler Corporate Center for five years, is changing its status from tenant to facility owner. As such, the global positioning satellite company will soon launch construction on a 60,000-square-foot building to expand local operations.

The Olathe, KS-headquartered company currently leases space at 585 N. Juniper Dr. The new building will go north at the corner of Juniper Drive and Galveston Street, where it bought the land for approximately $2.5 million.

The Chandler office will work with Garmin's software engineers by providing support in issues such as aviation, automotive OEM and desktop publications. The new facility will provide 141 new software and product development jobs during the next three years, and Garmin has committed to $11 million in capital investment.

Garmin has expanded three times at its current location and has selected LGE Design Build as its contractor for the LEED certified building. Construction is planned to begin in late summer with an expected completion in early 2014.

Garmin selected Chandler for the development after looking at other states in what the Chandler mayor's office dubs "a highly competitive process." Ultimately, “Garmin has been a longtime employer in Chandler and the greater Phoenix area, because it offers a highly-skilled workforce,” says Kevin Rauckman, Garmin's CFO in a press release. “Investing in the construction of our own facility signals a long-term commitment to Chandler and the state of Arizona.”