Posted by: Keri McGrath
More than a building, new headquarters represents Elanco’s endeavor to build a post-COVID workplace destination, the company’s next era of growth an innovation, an expanded downtown Indianapolis that connects the Valley Neighborhood with the Circle, and an epicenter for Animal Health innovation
GREENFIELD, Ind. (April 12, 2022) – Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) today unveiled plans for its new global headquarters featuring environmentally-sustainable, employee-focused design and a state-of-the art innovation center.
The company – which grew from a small division of Eli Lilly & Company to a $4.7 billion independent global animal health leader – plans to enter its seventh decade by breathing life into a long-idle site close to its birthplace.
“When we talk about the new headquarters, we’re talking about ‘building as a verb, not a noun,’” said Jeff Simmons, Elanco president and CEO. “We’re building Elanco’s next era of growth and innovation for one of the industry’s most trusted brands, we’re building paths to help connect Indianapolis’ historic west side with its center, and we’re building a vibrant destination for our nearly 10,000 global employees to collaborate, connect and invent. Finally, we believe Indianapolis is poised to become an epicenter of animal health innovation, and we’re excited to be among the architects building its foundation.”
Future-focused Design with the Environment and Community in Mind
The planned 220,000 square foot six-story office structure and connected innovation and collaboration buildings will occupy 40 acres of the former General Motors Stamping Plant site on the western edge of the White River, creating a greenspace-forward campus expanding White River State Park. The glass-faced building, once constructed, will add to the skyline of Indianapolis, pushing downtown west, connecting the Valley neighborhood with the Circle via a walkable, bikeable corridor with a park, a bus route, and enhanced trail system.
Influenced by new concepts of working post-pandemic, the campus is designed to create a more comfortable, casual work environment and serve as a destination for Elanco’s teams to collaborate with:
- Leading innovation laboratories.
- A variety of work settings, including outdoor work areas, to accommodate neurodiversity.
- An emphasis on open spaces for teams, customers and partners to connect.
- Enhanced interior environmental quality incorporating daylight, active circulation paths, and an air quality monitoring system to ensure adequate fresh air.
- Robust amenities and services designed to accommodate employee flexibility and evolving, personal workstyles while fueling the Elanco culture of ownership and innovation.
- Multi-use collaboration building designed to flex according to needs including a destination for major global customer events and scientific meetings.
The new headquarters’ design also supports Elanco’s sustainability pledge, featuring several important environmentally focused sustainability strategies:
- Planned use of renewable and low-carbon materials such as the timber roof structure, which is designed to avoid nearly 100 tons of emissions.
- Enhanced stormwater management capacity and native plantings on-site will help to manage on-site water use and build long-term resilience.
- Sustainability of Location: Redeveloping an idle space instead of developing grassland or greenspace.
Animal Health Epicenter
Elanco’s campus is also designed to serve as the foundation of a planned animal health epicenter in Indianapolis. Developed in collaboration with AgriNovus, the state of Indiana’s food and agriculture initiative, and business incubator High Alpha, the epicenter is expected to include venture studio development “makerspace” and create a scientific discovery network and research clearinghouse that will help position Indiana as a hub for animal health invention.
“Broad access to the world’s animals coupled with a laser focus on creating pathways for innovation is what we believe sets Elanco apart as a sought-after partner,” continued Simmons. “We’re building something significant that will make animals, the city and our world better, and we’re designing our new headquarters with those partnerships in mind.”
Two such strategic partnerships have already come to fruition. In February, Elanco announced its initial seed funding to help create and launch Athian in partnership with High Alpha, which was formed to certify, aggregate, and monetize environmental footprint reductions within the food system. Just yesterday, Elanco announced the creation of BiomEdit, an animal health microbiome innovation company, in partnership with Gingko Bioworks.
As announced in December 2020, costs associated with this new headquarters are expected to be offset by the competitive incentive packages offered by the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis. Construction on the facility is expected to commence in the coming months and take approximately two to three years to complete. The company looks forward to continued engagement with state, city and neighborhood officials to facilitate a positive transition for its employees and the surrounding areas.
ABOUT ELANCO
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) is a global leader in animal health dedicated to innovating and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets, creating value for farmers, pet owners, veterinarians, stakeholders, and society as a whole. With nearly 70 years of animal health heritage, we are committed to helping our customers improve the health of animals in their care, while also making a meaningful impact on our local and global communities. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our Elanco Healthy Purpose™ Sustainability/ESG Pledges – all to advance the health of animals, people, and the planet. Learn more at www.elanco.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Forward-looking statements are based on Elanco’s current expectations and assumptions regarding its business and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, by their nature, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Elanco’s most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Elanco undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
