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.
“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.