More than 1,000 employees are expected to relocate to a new operations center being planned by QBE First, an international insurance group, when it takes over a 183,000-square-foot facility near the Chandler mall.
The company has signed an 11-year lease that will house a call center, according to Steve Lindstrom, regional operations executive. QBE, through a business it and its affiliates acquired from Balboa Insurance Co., has been an employer in Chandler since 2011.
Mayor Jay Tibshraeny hailed the announcement as good news for Chandler. “It is great to have QBE expanding into the Chandler business community,” he said. “This announcement shows the confidence they have in Chandler. We look forward to continuing this partnership and appreciate their recognition of a talented regional workforce to help them grow.
“A lot of people worked very hard to make this happen and we welcome QBE’s continued expansion in the Price Corridor.” QBE plans to begin moving into the new facility sometime during the fourth quarter of 2012.
Regent Properties is the owner/developer of the property. The lease was arranged by Jones Lang LaSalle on behalf of QBE and Bill Blake, principal with Lee and Associates, on behalf of Regent.
“We’re grateful to the city of Chandler and the pro-business attitude of city leaders for making this project possible,” said Lindstrom.
