Wichita based Koch industries Thursday announced plans to expand its northeast campus on 37th Street between Hillside and Oliver.
The new 210,000-square-foot building will be three stories, include a large cafe and have space for 745 employees. Koch spokesperson Melissa Cohlmia says currently Koch Industries in Wichita employs 2,800 people.
"That number, we know, will be significantly increasing," says Cohlmia.
"The other thing I will mention is that we currently have about 150 open roles, today. So, we are hiring, we have been hiring, and we will be hiring in the future."
Cohlmia says the growth has come from a lot of product innovation from different Koch companies, and they plan on continuing to pursue additional innovations and acquisitions.
Local firms Howard and Helmer Architecture and Professional Engineering Consultants will lead the expansion project. Construction is expected to begin next fall and be completed by 2015.
Koch is currently working with the city to permanently reroute traffic on 37th Street near the construction site about a quarter mile north. Cost for the rerouting will be paid by Koch.