SSOE Group Moves Columbus Office to Polaris Area Amid Continued Growth in Central Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 15, 2024 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Toledo, is excited to announce it has expanded its operations in Columbus, Ohio. The firm first opened its doors in Columbus in 2008 as a response to SSOE’s commercial architecture and engineering client needs at the time. Today, 41 employees call Columbus their home office—a number that has more than doubled in the past two years alone.
SSOE has relocated from the One Crossroads building on East Campus View Boulevard to its new home at 8800 Lyra Drive near Polaris Founder’s Park. SSOE’s Evan Baker, Columbus Business Leader, who is overseeing area business development and the firm’s Columbus expansion, shared, “What began as a modest, hardworking group of eight back in 2008 has become a talented, well-equipped full multidisciplinary team supporting projects ranging from semiconductor facilities and pharmaceutical labs to architecturally led projects like higher education and healthcare design. To see the Columbus-area community continue to evolve has been nothing short of amazing—and we’re grateful to be along for the ride.”
A New Semiconductor Hub in America’s Heartland
The U.S. semiconductor market, which has primarily resided in the Western U.S. over the past few decades until recently, has now spread to various new hubs scattered across the U.S. mainly due to the influx of funding from the CHIPS and Science Act. Today, there’s California’s Silicon Valley, Oregon’s Silicon Forest, Arizona’s Silicon Desert, and Ohio’s Silicon Heartland.
SSOE’s Shawn Pankratz, Principal Division Manager, who specializes in semiconductor cleanroom and basebuild design program management, commented, “With our strong regional and state presence in Ohio, combined with the unique skill sets and experiences we can bring to bear for our suppliers from across our diverse business units, the demand for our services continues to grow. This is driving us to bolster our bench strength in Columbus to include resources for every operation to support both work in flight as well as the many exciting large to mega-sized projects on the horizon.”
Renovations have already been completed ahead of the move-in, as the firm prepares to recruit new talent at all levels and disciplines from this new space to support its current backlog and growth forecasts. SSOE is well positioned to support the economic growth of the area with a full suite of services to offer clients. The firm has continued to increase its market share in diverse sectors that include automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical, glass, battery / electrical vehicle (EV), and power—in addition to being named among the Top 2 Semiconductor Design Firms in the nation by industry-leading Engineering News-Record for the past seven years and Top 2 Manufacturing Design Firm for the past two.
SSOE Solidifies its Columbus Footprint
SSOE’s offices in Ohio have seen a 57% increase in revenue over the past three years and completed 250 projects within 100 miles of Columbus within the past five years—proof of its continuing growth in the heartland. The firm’s Columbus presence has served as a key location for all its business units and its proximity is strategic for many of its well-established clients like Kenworth Truck Company, Molson Coors, Pharmavite, Owens Corning, and more.
SSOE’s Jason Christen, PMP, Glass and Manufacturing Business Leader, who is the firm’s Owens Corning Account Manager, shared, “I’m excited for the continued growth of our Columbus office, not only to penetrate new markets in this area but to better serve our existing long-standing clients in Central Ohio. We’ve been an alliance partner with Owens Corning for over 30 years now and expanding our presence in the Columbus area solidifies our commitment to grow our services with this key client. There are great benefits for our team to be able to connect quickly with the Granville location’s staff to continue to provide that face time and build a true team atmosphere with boots on the ground—delivering the reliability and cost-saving solutions they’ve come to expect from us.”
Architecture for the Arch City: From Industrial Design to Life Sciences
SSOE’s Building Design Group, a business unit responsible for the firm’s architecturally driven projects, is also equipped to support the growth in Columbus in sectors like higher education, workforce development, healthcare, and corporate workplace design. SSOE’s Todd Boyer, AIA, Architectural Business Leader, recently joined the firm’s Columbus team to expand business development as part of a continued strategic investment it’s making to strengthen and grow its architecturally based design practice and enhance its brand, portfolio, and resources in the Midwest.
The firm looks forward to celebrating its new space with an invitation-only open house event for clients in August. In addition, SSOE is actively growing its Columbus office with local hires; for more information on open opportunities in Columbus, click here.
SSOE Group in Columbus
8800 Lyra Drive
Suite 310
Columbus, Ohio 43240
Local Contact:
Evan Baker
T. (614) 985.1507
C. (419) 704.0031
ebaker@ssoe.com