Nestle Purina Breaking Ground for $15 Million Building at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis

News provided by

Jul 15, 2010, 10:50 ET

ST. LOUIS, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestle Purina PetCare today announced plans to construct a $15 million Learning and Training Center at its Checkerboard Square headquarters – the first new building on campus in nearly 25 years.

Purina and Nestle officials will celebrate with a groundbreaking ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 16, featuring Jack Russell terriers "going to ground" and remarks by Nestle Purina Chief Executive Officer W. Patrick McGinnis and Nestle Executive Vice President Luis Cantarell.

"This is good news for Nestle Purina, good news for our associates and good news for the City of St. Louis," Pat McGinnis said. "Even during challenging economic times, we continue to grow and invest in our business."

Construction on the new four-story, 56,000-square-foot building will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by December 2011.

Purina's 55-acre Checkerboard Square property features 17 buildings with approximately 1.3 million-square-feet of office space, three ponds and a dog park. This capital project marks the first new building at Purina headquarters since 1986.

The new building will emphasize innovation and include a state-of-the-art 82-seat "in the round" auditorium, along with conference rooms and office space. It will face Chouteau Avenue.

Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premier global manufacturer of pet products, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A., the world's largest food company.

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare