- U.S. Venture headquarters relocating to the historic 222 Building in Downtown Appleton
- The project in development for six years, gaining momentum with renovation plans underway
- VP of Marketing emphasizes commitment to downtown Appleton and positive community impact
Downtown Appleton anxiously awaits plans to relocate the U.S. Venture headquarters to the historic 222 Building. Now after six years of development cycles and relocation, the project is gaining momentum, with renovation plans already in motion.
Speaking about the project, VP of Marketing for U.S. Venture, Mercedes Bereza said in a statement sent to NBC 26, "We have remained consistent in our commitment to downtown Appleton, and we are extremely enthusiastic about the positive impact the repurposing of this underused historic building will have on our community."
U.S. Venture, known for its petroleum and renewable energy product distribution, is currently located in Kimberly. Since announcing its relocation to Appleton, it has kept details of its new headquarters tightly under wraps. With an estimated $56 million budget, the project signals a significant investment in the area's development.
Laura Wiegert, Executive Vice President of Marketing Events at FOX Cities Chamber, emphasized the thoughtful decision-making process behind the project, stating, "US Venture is a great partner of ours, and they support a lot of what we do. We support them, and they want to make a thoughtful decision on how they do this."
Renovation plans for the historic 222 Building will soon be unveiled to the public, according to both company officials and representatives from the city of Appleton. This is the first step in the project’s progression since it was announced last December.
The influx of more than 500 company employees to downtown Appleton is anticipated to have a significant economic impact. The FOX Cities Chamber of Commerce highlighted the potential benefits,
"They are bringing 500 workers down to this community. And that's 500 potential customers, for the businesses here that are also going to eat and play and not just work here. They're really hopefully going to be more ingrained in our community, Wiegert said.
Mayor Woodford expressed the importance of the project for downtown revitalization. "Having a daytime office occupancy, which has struggled to recover post-pandemic, will be a big deal for our downtown local businesses," he said.
Mayor Woodford also hinted that details of the development agreement terms could be revealed as early as next week.
