Day: August 1, 2024

Garmin International, the global leader in GPS and wearables, has been increasing its footprint in Olathe for some time. Since Garmin moved its world headquarters to Olathe more than 30 years ago they’ve growth in step with a community that is now more than 152,000 strong. As Garmin has grown, so has Olathe. And vice-versa. That growth at Garmin has come in various shapes and sizes through the years. From a new tower to accommodate growth nearly two decades ago to the much-needed parking garage to the state-of-the art warehouse and distribution center on the northwest corner of their property near 151st and Ridgeview Road. That new warehouse was the first phase of the most recent $200 million expansion. That 720,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution center, helped expand manufacturing for the company’s aviation segment, providing the capacity needed to serve aircraft manufacturers and aircraft owners moving forward. On the heels of that awesome new warehouse space came the most recent feather in Garmin’s cap, the renovation of the old warehouse space, a nearly 500,000 sq. ft. building that puts the Garmin employees first. The new space features a well-being center and café. The renovated areas features a state-of-the-art fitness center, a gymnasium and full-service cafeteria. In addition, the space offers office space for the ever-growing Garmin employee base. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW1Pb8Xk-oU “The opening of the Well-being Center, Café and office spaces within Building 3 is a major milestone and an essential component to our future as we continue to put our greatest asset first—our people,” said Patrick Desbois, Executive Vice President of Operations. “This specific project was a long time coming, so to see the faces of our associates when experiencing this space for the first time has been extremely rewarding.” There isn’t much that the new Building 3 on the Garmin campus doesn’t offer. The new building houses a spacious fitness center, a gymnasium utilized for basketball, pickleball, volleyball and futsal, full-service locker rooms, an expansive top-tier cafeteria and two well-being consulting rooms. The remodel of the old warehouse space included adding a floor and the cost of the entire project was more than $100 million. This latest phase of the initial $200 million expansion will also help Garmin add nearly 1,000 jobs. Yet another reason why the latest piece of the expansion is geared toward their employees’ well-being and a big reason why Garmin landed at the No. 2 spot on Forbes‘ 2024 list of America’s Best Large Employers. With qualified exercise professionals support staff on hand, the Well-being Center – open 24 hours a day for associate-use only – has a cardio and strength-training space with multiple ellipticals, exercise bicycles, squat racks, free weights and two group exercise rooms. Consulting rooms are available for select well-being vendor appointments. The Café features a diverse selection of cuisine options, gas-powered pizza oven, full salad bar, Starbucks, grab-and-go style café, collaboration spaces and more. The office and engineering facilities space in the former warehouse area include 60 conference rooms, 12 break rooms, 11 mail, copy and recycle centers, plus collaboration and support spaces. https://youtu.be/wLiVqcyvDJE

Finding a spot at a restaurant was just about as difficult as securing a hotel room in Olathe last weekend and we absolutely loved it. The Mid America Youth Basketball Girls Summer Nationals North came rolling into town Friday and more than 120 teams played some high-level basketball at venues in Olathe, Shawnee and Gardner. From first and second graders to juniors and seniors in high school laced them up and brought in close to $150,000 into our community. Teams came from as far away as Minnesota to play in the prestigious, end-of-the-summer tournament, but teams from Kansas and Missouri won eight of the nine tournament championships, with Kansa steams grabbing gold in five age groups. Here are your age division winners: First and second grade – KS Kansas Stars Elite Third grade – KS MoKan 3rd Red Fourth grade – MO Lady Mentality 2032 Fifth grade – MO DS@6 Sixth grade – MO Prep Hoops Academy 2030 Seventh grade – KS SSA – 13U Eighth grade – NE 370 Select 8th Gold Ninth and 10th grade – KS SSA 15U Black 11th and 12th grade – KS Kansas Triple Threat Conklin “It was a great tournament,” said Quinton Branch, coach of the seventh-grade champions. “It really means a lot that we’re able to see this type of different competition and different levels of competition. “We were able to see a lot of teams from outside the area. We usually have to go out on the road to find this caliber of competition.” The three-day tournament started Friday, July 26 and finished Sunday, July 28. The bracket pool took place at California Trail, Frontier Trail and Pioneer Trail middle schools in Olathe, as well as the New Century and Okun fieldhouses in Garner and Shawnee, respectively. Hotels in Olathe were well over their occupancy numbers compared to at this time last year, thanks to the tournament that drew teams from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and even Minnesota. Last weekend saw hotels occupancy at more than 80 percent capacity vs. just 60 percent during the same weekend a year ago. The hope is to have the MAYB tournament back in 2025 and beyond. We certainly loved welcoming the teams and their families into our community. “We’d definitely like to see this tournament back next year,” Branch added.

A brand new, state-of-the-art Olathe Police Department headquarters opened in May and it’s exactly what the department and community needed – and it’s long overdue. From advances in technology and equipment to the way the headquarters are laid out, the differences in the old and new building are profound, according to Olathe Police Sergent and Public Information Officer, John Moncayo. “When it came to figuring out what we wanted (this building) to look like,” he said. “We wanted it to be a place where officers were excited to come to work, just as much as we wanted residents to feel good coming here.” It all begins with a more distinct entrance to the building off of Harrison Street. In the old building, which was razed to make room for the new headquarters, it was hard to know where to enter, according to Moncayo.  The 40,000 sq. ft. building cost $24.8 million and opened its doors in May of this year. https://youtu.be/nO69mpSAbjU An expansion of their old 1983 headquarters was done in 2010 and Turner Construction was deliberate in making certain that the 2010 expansion – which remained – matched what they were building. “Lots of work was done to make sure there were seamless transitions from the 2010 building to the new one,” Moncayo said. A walk through the new building shows just how needed an updated and advanced OPD headquarters truly was – from the technology side to just gold old-fashioned space. When 2010 building was built, we were trying to keep up with growth,” Moncayo said. “From 2010, growth has exploded, both businesses and residents. With that we needed to increase our manpower, adjust our manpower the best we could to meet that growth.” It begins the moment you walk into the new headquarters. The increase of three more interview rooms allows officers to connect with residents with more privacy and makes it much more efficient for the officers. Another important aspect of what they have at their fingertips now is technology. The technology, in general, is glaringly obvious. Body cameras can be uploaded wirelessly, officers can retrieve footage quicker, computers capabilities, police and their lighting is much more advanced. While technology allows them to keep up across the board, it’s the upgrade to as many as six mental health officers and co-responders is paramount to making sure our community is best served. https://youtu.be/31vRb9lJizY Keeping officers and staff both physically and mentally sharp was at the top of the list, too. ”An upgraded gym facility gives more advanced equipment for the officers to use and more ability to do things whenever they can, while on duty,” Moncayo added. “We also have our own wellness team because we understand the importance of wellness whether it’s mental, physical, emotional, social or even financial. “We increased the gym so officers can stay fit and be the best for the community when they are called on.” The addition of training and matt space also offers the Olathe Police Department an area that was not available before. The new space offers in-house or outside agencies opportunities to train, as well. The new squad room is three times the size of the previous room and fitted with screens all around the room for training videos, and the ability to show policies and procedures on the screens during briefings. “We were intentional with the whole build,” Moncayo said. “The (Olathe Police) chief and our architect thought about the most efficient way to get what they need, and go out and serve the community.” The new facility also offers a full-service kitchen and dining area – the hub – where officers and staff can congregate and relax. The staff hub is located just inside the main employee entrance that mirrors the front entrance to offer the same sort of feeling of comfort to staff as the main entrance does for residents. ”We can host gatherings here,” Moncayo said. “It’s a very comfortable setting, all the way to the chairs they sit in. We have all the comforts of home.” One of the small, but very important additions to the new facility are the value statements that are posted throughout the new building. They’re large and sometimes small graphics on the walls to give officers the constant reminder of why they’re here and why they’re in this line of work.