Pulse Design Group announces new president, new office location

Pulse Design Group, an Overland Park, Ks-based architecture firm focused solely on healthcare design, has a lot to celebrate this week - including plans to move into a new office building, a 40-year firm anniversary and a new, incoming president.

Pulse plans to move to 46 Penn Centre, a high-profile Class A office building on the Country Club Plaza located north of 47th Street and east of Pennsylvania Avenue. The facility offers expansive, unobstructed views of the Plaza and will feature 220,000 +/- RSF of office space, approximately 11,000 +/- RSF of retail space and secure and covered parking.

Pulse will occupy approximately 10,000 SF on the 10th floor of the Block Real Estate Services, LLC development, which is slated to be complete by July 2020.

Pulse Design Group’s office relocation coincides with the firm’s celebration of 40 years in business. The firm's steady projections in the healthcare sector and anticipated continued growth steered the decision to land at 46 Penn Centre.

“The move to Missouri makes sense for positioning, provides a central location for our employees as well as proximity to clients and industry partners. The additional amenities that the Plaza offers will be an added benefit to our employees and prospective employees,” said Pulse managing partner, Rick Embers.

In preparation for future growth and increased visibility, the firm has restructured and added strong talent to the leadership team - namely Dennis Burns - who will join Pulse as president in January 2020.

Burns, whose previous positions include president of general contractor StructSure Projects and a business development role at Crossland Construction, understands the built and healthcare environments. He has spent 15+ years in the construction industry and has also gained integral knowledge of the healthcare market sector - two big plus marks for Pulse.

As Pulse president, Burns plans to increase brand visibility, provide strategy and vision, interface with clients and industry partners and be integrally involved in day-to-day firm operations.

“I look forward to enhancing an existing powerful brand and expanding the firm’s geographic reach and client base," Burns said.

Burns is active in several industry organizations, including past president of the Design Build Institute of America’s Mid-America Region (DBIA-MAR), past chair of the Southwest Johnson County Economic Development Council, a KCAHE board member and volunteers for various organizations within the region.

"On behalf of everyone at Pulse Design Group, there is immense excitement about the leadership, vision and positioning that Dennis brings to the firm,” Embers said.

LANE4 Teams with City of Olathe for library-anchored, mixed-use project

Driven by the need for a new, modern library space, the City of Olathe has teamed with LANE4 Property Group on a new, state-of-the-art mixed-use project in downtown Olathe, Ks.

The project will fuse restaurant, library and office space into a 5-story building located immediately east of Olathe City Hall on E. Santa Fe Street.

The proposed project includes approximately 70,000 SF of usable space plus indoor and outdoor common areas. The plan includes space for a signature restaurant, Class A office space with dramatic views and a rooftop patio, plus ample space for the Olathe Library.

The Civic Center Park currently on the site will remain intact and be integrated into the new project to create a cohesive, welcoming area for all to enjoy.

The Olathe City Council unanimously approved a pre-development agreement on On Tuesday, November 19th, allowing the project to move forward though the planning and zoning process.

“While the final project has yet to come before the Council for final consideration, it has incredible potential for our downtown. It could allow us to have a new, first class, 21st century library in downtown, new class A office and a restaurant - all in our historic core. This could mean new jobs, new opportunities and new energy in our downtown,” said Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland.

The project will be presented to the City Council for approval in early 2020 with a groundbreaking later in the year.

“Olathe continues to grow, it continues to support a strong school system. You only have to look around the country at comparable suburban municipalities to figure out that there is a deep well of opportunity to tap into in this downtown,” said Michael Berenbom, vice president at LANE4.

Leasing inquiries for the restaurant and office space should be directed to Brandon Buckley at (816) 268-9112 or bbuckley@lane4group.com.

Construction is rolling on Hard Rock Hotel

Fogel-Anderson Construction is rolling on a new 241-room Hard Rock Hotel and Event Center in Edwardsville, Ks.

The hotel will anchor the new Village South mixed-use development, located near the Kansas Speedway and Legends Shopping District on the south side of I-70, just east of 110th Street.

"Fogel-Anderson has been engaged for nearly two years in the planning and pre-construction phases of the Hard Rock Hotel. We are beyond excited to get started and provide another transformative destination to western Wyandotte County," said Roger Summers, Fogel-Anderson vice president.

The 176,000+ SF hotel, developed by One10 Hotel HRKC LLC and operated by Aimbridge Hospitality, will feature five food and beverage venues, including two full-service restaurants, a lobby bar and music center, a Hard Rock retail outlet and a coffee shop. The VIP lounge on the 11th floor will also have a bar and food service following the Hard Rock theme.

The 50,000 SF event center will offer modern and flexible meeting and event spaces, including a 6,500 SF ballroom allowing the hotel to host large conferences, meetings, weddings and social events.

Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, spa, salon and fitness center, a business center and several Hard Rock memorabilia venues.

The hotel was designed by Lucien Lagrange Studio and civil engineering provided by Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting (RIC).

The grand opening is scheduled for Summer 2021.

Creative Planning stays true to name, invests in Class A office space

Creative Planning, Inc., a $26 billion investment advisory firm headquartered in Overland Park, Ks., will soon break ground on Creative Campus III, the final segment of their Class A campus at 5400 W 110th Street.

The firm has selected JLL as their strategic leasing partner.

Creative Campus III will deliver 108,000 SF of new Class A office space at Creative Campus, increasing the development’s total footprint to 335,750 SF upon its completion.

“Creative Planning has laid out a unique office project in Creative Campus that meets the evolving demands of office tenants looking to grow or establish themselves in our region,” said Ryan Schneider, executive vice president at JLL.

Creative Campus III will offer ample natural light, floor to ceiling windows and efficient floor plates with the opportunity to interconnect stairs between each of the building’s four floors. An on-campus cafeteria, with rotating menu and fresh options daily, is located in Creative Campus I.

“Creative Campus III will provide a collaborative work environment that cultivates creativity and employee engagement that will help industry leading companies attract and retain top talent,” Schneider said.

The campus is easily accessible by Interstate 435 via the Nall interchange and surrounded by abundant retail and entertainment options.

In partnership with VanTrust Real Estate, Burns & McDonnell will design and build the state-of-the-art office campus.

JLL’s RJ Trowbridge is leading the leasing efforts for the project which will deliver in Q3 of 2021. All 108,000 SF is available for lease.

Mission Gateway picks up speed, breaks ground on parking garage

Mission Gateway, a 550,000 SF mixed-use development in Mission, Kansas, broke ground on a three-story parking garage this week. The parking garage plans include 1,513 spaces of total grade-level parking, with 831 elevated spaces.

The development, located at Johnson Drive between Roe Avenue and Roeland Drive, initially began construction in September 2018.  After some minor project delays, site work resumed this summer. 

"In addition to breaking ground on the parking deck, Cinergy (Entertainment Group, Inc.) continues to make progress of their 90,000 SF destination entertainment venue and concrete work continues at the small shop retail and residential building. Additionally, work continues around the site to bring utilities to the various components," said Andy Ashwal, VP/senior assets manager at GFI Development Company.

Cameron Group LLC and GFI Development Company, who are spearheading the development, recently awarded the design of the parking garage to the architecture firm of El Dorado Inc.  El Dorado is also the architect of record and designer of the office, multifamily and small shop retail buildings which will front Johnson Drive and Roeland Drive. 

“This is a key piece of the Mission Gateway project, which is going to be a one of a kind destination in Kansas City,” said Roger Summers, vice president with Fogel-Anderson Construction.

Fogel-Anderson is the construction manager (CM) of the parking garage and of the overall Mission Gateway project. Other partners on the parking garage project include Olsson and Emery Sapp & Sons. 

Construction is scheduled to begin on the office buildings in the first half of 2020. The parking garage is scheduled to be complete by August 2020.