With the launch of a ‘first of its kind’ new headquarters, Co-operators insurance is out to show it’s not only possible to build with a focus on environmental sustainability, and in turn people, it makes economic sense to do so.
During a grand opening event for the company’s new national head office – located on Cooper Drive in the Hanlon Creek Business Park – on Tuesday afternoon, company officials pointed out a wide range of environmental features and challenged other business leaders to follow suit.
There are 550 solar panels on the roof, high-efficiency water source technology, skylights and electrochromic windows meant to maximise natural light, 3,600 plants on a living biophilia wall, and more.
“It's initiatives like this that, if done collectively, holistically across the world, can make the world a better place,” said executive vice-president Paul Hanna in comments to GuelphToday. “There is no such thing as community resilience, if you don't have climate resilience on a global scale.
“We’re in the business of insurance. We see the global catastrophes that are happening, we're seeing it happen in Canada. It is a record year for catastrophic events in 2024,” he added.
The company’s stated goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. It's been carbon neutral since 2020, a news release states.
Not only will the new building help Co-operators reach its environmental goals, there are cost savings to be had. Shawn Fitzgerald, vice-president of real estate and workplace services, said it's less expensive to operate the new building than it was in 2017 to run the company’s five separate Guelph offices – a figure made more impressive when inflation is factored in.
“What we're trying to do is set the example for other organizations that it can be done. You can do it while decreasing costs over the long run,” he said. “Maybe that drives some other organizations to do the same thing.”
Employee attraction and retention is a major part of the plan too.
The three-storey office building features 396 ergonomic work stations, 23 “collaboration spaces,” gardens and other outdoor seating areas, fitness facilities and more than a kilometre of trail.
“It's just such an inviting space,” said Hanna.
There are nearly 1,150 employees working in the new space.
The company’s national headquarters has been in Guelph since 1967, and there are several nods to local history included in the building. They include Guelph limestone feature walls and a visual timeline of the company’s time here.
However, there was a time it seemed to Co-operators officials they might have to move the head office out of town. The issue, Fitzgerald explained, was finding an appropriate piece of land for their head office vision.
“We looked for properties that were existing and there really wasn't anything that could fit,” he said, noting the desire was always to remain in Guelph.
That was the right decision, Mayor Cam Guthrie declared in delivering remarks during the event.
“You made a substantial investment in your building, but what you’ve really done is made a substantial investment in our community,” said Guthrie. “We’re trying to be a net-zero (carbon emission) community by 2050 or sooner.
“This contributes to that,” he continued. “You’re setting a standard not just for your own employees but for everyone else in the entire community as well.”
Prior to the grand opening ceremony, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation elder Stephen Winterhawk Laforme smudged the exterior of the building. He also said a prayer during the ceremony.
Co-operators announced plans in 2017 to combine its three Guelph locations, now five, into the new headquarters building.
The company’s former national headquarters, located at 130 Macdonell St. in the downtown core, was sold to Conestoga College last year, with plans to open a campus there to accommodate up to 5,000 students.
