CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With shovels in hand and an aim for a new beginning in mind, TC Energy business partners and the community are welcoming in the future home of the company’s 180,000 square foot downtown Charleston headquarters.
They gathered at the former site of the old CASCI building, 200 Kanawha Boulevard, Wednesday for a groundbreaking ceremony.
After making the announcement last November, TC Energy plans to move into the new building in 2026 once construction is complete by next year.
“TC Energy is excited that Remington Charleston Corporation is progressing work on a new office building in downtown, Charleston, West Virginia where our company will be a tenant,” TC Energy Senior Advisor Michael Tadeo said in a statement. “Since the 1950s, our Charleston employees have played a critical role in our operations to safely deliver the energy Americans need and demand every day. We are proud to continue our presence in the community and look forward to being part of a more vibrant downtown core.”
The Remington Charleston Corporation, originally a Canadian-based company is the developer on the $60 million project and the new owner of the site the future building will sit on.
Remington President Cody Clayton told MetroNews they have already had a good business relationship with TC Energy and are happy to see that relationship continue in West Virginia.
“We know them from being in Canada as well, so they’re a well sought after company, and we’re quite excited to be a part of their project,” Clayton said.
Remington is working with ZMM Architects and Engineers on the project’s development.
A Principal and Architect at ZMM Adam Krason said Remington had a conceptual design in mind for the building and ZMM helped them move that idea forward to the next construction phases.
Krason said this is a very exciting and promising development, as well as one that’s somewhat unique to the area right now.
“There are very few places where commercial office space is being built right now, so it’s exciting to see this happen in Charleston, and in a part of town that’s poised to really see significant development and growth within the next few years,” Krason said.
Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, who was at Wednesday’s groundbreaking and who has been a huge proponent for the city’s current path of development said she was excited to be welcoming in another new facet of that growth.
Amy Shuler Goodwin
“Today is a really exciting day, it’s another great opportunity for us here in downtown Charleston, and to have these folks here everyday is just going to be great and it’s going to be great for our businesses,” she said.
TC Energy isn’t the only company projected to move into the new building but some other businesses are expected to occupy the space as well.
Goodwin said the city is slated to see over $220 million in investment taking place just within a few blocks from one another in the downtown area.
She said it’s phenomenal to see this kind of development happening.
“That speaks volumes to what’s happening, you heard TC Energy and Remington say that they like doing business in the city and the state, that’s music to any mayors ears, to any senators ears,” Goodwin said.
Krason reiterated what the mayor and other Charleston officials have been saying, this building will only help to complete the downtown area’s recent path of growth in arts, entertainment, culture and now business in the energy sector.
“I think it’s great to just see this momentum all in one part of the city at once,” Krason said. “I think if you come down to this part of the city in the next five years it will almost be unrecognizable.”
Krason said ZMM has also been working to help develop the future Capital Sports Center project that’s underway only a couple blocks away at the site of the former Macy’s building in the Charleston Town Center Mall.
Chief Financial Officer with the Charleston Area Alliance, Debra James said they have a long history with the site that TC Energy’s new building will be built on after being the previous owners for nearly 30 years.
She said through their ownership of the former building, they managed to retain around 700 jobs in downtown Charleston through CASCI, and they believe Remington taking ownership in their hands will only further that trend in job growth and help the area continue to thrive.
“Businesses come and go but property is a fixture and you can’t always keep it the same, it has to be revitalized, and that’s what this project will do, it’s taking a thriving location in downtown Charleston and repurposing it and most importantly, maintaining jobs here in downtown Charleston,” said James.
The project marks Remington’s very first business in the U.S.
Clayton said they are ready to start laying down roots in West Virginia because the business climate seems promising here.
“It’s exciting, the business community here is something we’re very used to in Canada, it’s very open and willing to help, there’s great people down here, and it just made it easy for us to come down and make the investment,” said Clayton.
TC Energy will move its 450 employees from its current location in the Kanawha City area to the new facility by 2026.