Savage & Associates Breaks Ground On New Office Building

BY NANCY GAGNET | MIRROR REPORTER — Savage & Associates, Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning for its new corporate office building on Beavercreek Circle in Arrowhead Business Park. Standing beneath a tent amid a heavy downpour, Savage & Associates President and CEO J.R. Toland said many locations were considered for the new building, but Maumee was the right choice. “The day we came here and got out of the car and looked at the spot, we knew this was the right place,” he said. He is confident that the location, which sits in a wooded area on property south of Max and Erma’s on Dussel Drive, will provide easy accessibility to clients and will appeal to the up-and-coming professionals that he hopes his company will attract. “For 60 years, Savage & Associates has been making a difference and even though our address has changed, that isn’t changing. We look forward to laying a foundation here for the next 60 years,” he said. The new 30,000-square-foot building is estimated to cost $6.7 million. The company will also invest $500,000 in machinery, equipment and furnishings and will eventually expand operations. All 100 employees will move from the Talmadge Road office in Toledo to the new Maumee office, with an estimated annual payroll of $15.2 million. Last December, Maumee City Council approved key tax abatement programs including a 15-year Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) tax abatement for the construction of a new building. With the agreement, Savage made the Anthony Wayne Local School District whole by administering payments to the district in lieu of paying taxes on the building. That portion of the agreement was necessary because the building is located in the AW school district, said Maumee city administrator John Jezak. The city also approved a 30-year non-school Tax Increment Financing district for the property in which proceeds will support public improvement projects associated with infrastructure, such as storm water upgrades. In addition to Toland, the other partners were on hand for a ceremonial shovel and hardhat photo op before the storm blew in. Several business leaders attended the event as well as U.S. Rep. Bob Latta and Maumee Mayor Richard Carr. “It’s a privilege to be here today representing Maumee,” Carr said. “Welcome, Savage & Associates, to our community.” Stephanie Kuhlman, senior development agent with the real estate development firm NAI Harmon Group, assisted Savage in the relocation process. “We’re thrilled to be here. Two years ago to the day we began looking for a new site. Next year, the building should be completed,” she said.