Healthcare giant Centene displays East Coast Charlotte headquarters construction
Health insurance giant Centene Corp. showcased construction of its future East Coast headquarters in Charlotte expected to open next year and creating thousands of jobs.
The St. Louis-based global company on Monday showed off the first phase of its campus and building under way of its 800,000-square-foot future office and meeting space at University Research Park.
Centene plans to invest $1 billion and create at least 3,237 jobs within the next two years, and add a total of more than 6,000 jobs, including new hires and relocated employees, CEO Michael Neidorff said during Monday’s dedication ceremony.
The average annual salary for Centene positions is $100,089. The medium household income in Mecklenburg County is $66,641, according to 2019 Census data.
“When you talk about this many highly paid employees with a company like Centene that’s committed to diversity and inclusion and committed to making sure that everybody has healthcare in North Carolina, that’s a good partnership for us to have,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.
The new Charlotte headquarters
Centene announced its plan to open a regional headquarter and technology hub in Charlotte last July. In August, the first phase of the construction broke ground along Governor Hunt Road. The development is expected to be completed next year, and the second phase is scheduled to begin in 2024.
Centene’s full campus would occupy 2.4 million square feet in the middle of the natural green space at University Research Park. Employee amenities will include a childcare and early education center, dining venues, healthcare clinic, and a stand-alone building serving as a corporate learning center.
Employees are able to walk to an outdoor amphitheater space and look out to the surrounding greenway in Charlotte’s university area.
Largest job announcement in history
During Monday’s ceremony, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said this is the largest job announcement in the history of the state’s business incentive program.
Centene could receive up to $450 million over the next 39 years, the Observer previously reported.
The impact of COVID-19 did not stop the company from hiring new employees, Neidorff said, as the company has made over 9,000 new hires worldwide since transitioning into working from home. Centene has its West Coast headquarters in Sacramento and global headquarters in Missouri.
The company now has 1,300 employees in North Carolina. Among those, 700 were hired over the past year.
Lyles also emphasized Centene’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. According to Centene, 75% of the company’s employees are women and 50% identify as people of color.
Impact on surrounding areas
Centene’s investment makes Charlotte a desirable location for other companies to expand, said George Dunlap, Mecklenburg County board chairman.
Several other fintech companies like Robinhood, USAA and Credit Karma recently announced plans to expand in Charlotte.
“Centene also recognizes the value of employee development through its own internal university leadership training, tuition reimbursement, partnership with local school districts, and higher education,” Dunlap said.
Cooper said the city and the state should invest more into education to provide a competitive workforce: “I think these companies are going to be watching us. Are we going to invest in education from cradle to career? Are we going to do what’s right with our community colleges and universities? Because they are depending on us to make sure that we provide that workforce for them.”
