Speaking of supply chains: Atlanta further cemented its place as a center of logistics this week with the opening of the Norfolk Southern headquarters in Midtown at a ribbon cutting attended by Governor Brian Kemp, Senator Raphael Warnock and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Some 3,000 of Norfolk Southern’s 19,000 employees will call the new 3.4 acres headquarters home, which features state-of-the-art technology in its 750,000 square-foot building in Tech Square. The building is certified as LEED Gold, one of the first in Georgia and built to LEED version 4 specifications. The building has touchless technology throughout and features many employee amenities including a restaurant-style food hall, 24/7 fitness center, on-site daycare, a coffee shop and even an artist in residence studio.
“There are many reasons we are proud to call Atlanta home. The city is diverse and culturally rich, with amenities that will ensure our employees and their families thrive. We are committed that Norfolk Southern and its people will be more than just residents of Atlanta – we plan to be engaged community partners, committed to the future of our new home,” said Jim Squires, chairman, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern.
Norfolk Southern, or its predecessors, have had a footprint in Atlanta since the 1840’s – essentially the beginning of the city. Their former Atlanta offices in what is now called the Gulch sit across from Castleberry Hill and were completed in 1928. Those offices slowly bled employees to new offices in Midtown until the last of them left in 2004. The building has say empty since then but is now being transformed into industrial lofts and retail space as part of the massive investment in the Gulch area. Until its recent renovation work, the place had mostly been the setting for many a Hollywood project since its abandonment. The Walking Dead, Stranger Things and even a couple of the Marvel movies have been visitors to the south downtown area.
“To be a leader in today’s rapidly evolving transportation and logistics market, the company needed to be more agile and work more collaboratively across organizational boundaries,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer Annie Adams. “Our new building brings us together in a central location, which was designed to boost collaboration and innovation.”
With a severe shortage of truck drivers, even more attention than usual is being paid to moving freight to rail – a side effect of which is getting those trucks off the already crowded roads. Norfolk Southern also provides critical freight transportation for much of Georgia industry, not to mention all the Georgia farmers that ship their products across the country on Norfolk Southern lines. Many of the goods coming in from the Port of Savannah make their way across the country via Norfolk Southern.
