River Grove’s Follett to consilidate operations to Westchester
Follett Corp. in River Grove said it will consolidate several of its facilities in Chicago’s western suburbs to a single property in Westchester as part of its growth plans for the future.
Follett recently signed an 11-year lease to occupy Three Westbrook Corporate Center, a 160,000 square-foot tower that represents the largest office lease transaction completed in the Chicago suburbs so far in 2013. Follett is a leading provider of physical and digital content and technologies that help drive the education experience for 10 million students at more than 70,000 schools and 1,000 college campuses across North America.
“This new facility will allow us to bring together and leverage Follett’s significant Chicago-based capabilities in retailing and technology to transform the way education is delivered,” said Mary Lee Schneider, president and CEO of Follett Corporation. As a pioneer in distributing physical and digital content used in schools and universities, today Follett’s Chicago area-based operations are addressing some of the most pressing education issues facing the nation-including the shift to digital in schools, the rising cost of college tuition, the transition to state standards and the pursuit of personalized learning in classrooms.
Early next year, approximately 750 employees from the company’s corporate office and higher education businesses at suburban operations in Oak Brook, Westmont and River Grove will relocate to Three Westbrook Corporate Center.
“We are truly excited that Follett has chosen Westchester as the ideal location to base its administrative offices,” said Sam Pulia, Westchester village president. “We welcome Follett’s associates to the community and look forward to building a strong partnership with the company in the years ahead.”
Follett will renovate the building to enhance collaboration among teams in the areas of e-commerce, digital content and systems, marketing and other functions serving higher education. Follett has contracted Chicago design firm Cannon Design to provide the design services for the renovation of Three Westbrook Center.
CBRE represented Follett in the property lease transaction. Jones Lang LaSalle represented Arden Realty, a GE Capital real estate company.
Follett also has area facilities in Woodridge and McHenry, Ill., which serve the preK-12 segment of education. These locations are not directly affected by this relocation. For more information about Follett, visit www.follett.com.