USM & Montgomery County Commissioners Kick Off Construction That Will Add 200 New Jobs

Saturday, 31 October 2009
NORRISTOWN — The Montgomery County Commissioners kicked off construction Wednesday, October 28th, on the new national headquarters of USM, which will add 200 new middle-income jobs to Norristown.

Montgomery County is providing a $1.9 million grant under the Countywide Strategic Economic Development Program to renovate the old Sears building in Studio Centre, formerly Logan Square Shopping Center.

When the new offices open, scheduled for late 2010, USM will move its existing workforce of 358 into the new facility and move approximately 100 more employees in from various other locations. It has also made commitments to hire an additional 100 people over the next five years.

The grant is being funded under Montgomery County’s new Countywide Strategic Economic Development Program, which has targeted $20 million for the revitalization of older communities in the county.

“The addition of these new jobs with substantial salaries will give Norristown a much needed boost and is exactly what we envisioned when we proposed this new economic development program,” Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Jim Matthews said.

USM, formerly US Maintenance, will have approximately 80,000-square-feet of additional space when the renovations are complete. The new building is being designed to achieve Silver LEED Certification for the Core & Shell and Commercial Interior.

It will offer features such as glass-front offices, spacious low-profile workstations, and plenty of natural light through skylights. Additionally, the design will take advantage of the natural light and will adjust the light output accordingly, an energy conservation method known as daylight harvesting. A green roof will also help regulate the building temperature, while controlling waste water run-off. There are also plans to install solar panels on the roof, so that a portion of the building’s energy consumption will be solar power.

“We are excited to have the support of the local community to grow our business here, and the opportunity to provide an environmentally-friendly facility that is also a great place to work,” said USM Chief Executive Officer George Spink.

“We’re also looking forward to working with local businesses, as we intend to source from local business and suppliers for as much of the refurbishment as possible.”