Fortune 500 health care giant forges ahead on $1 billion Charlotte campus

Already, the company is deep into the first phase of construction, as evidenced by a concrete shell of a nine-floor, 800,000-square-foot building that will be completed next year.

Driving the news: Centene executives joined local government and business leaders on Monday for the dedication of the facility. All told, Centene, a St. Louis-based Fortune 500 health care giant, is spending $1 billion on the 2.4 million-square-foot campus, where it’ll employ thousands.

Why it matters: Centene’s announcement last summer that it would establish a 3,200-employee regional HQ in Charlotte was the largest single jobs announcement in state history. Centene will get roughly $450 million in incentives if it meets its job creation goals.

• The corporate jobs will be in technology, finance, medical management and operations. Local leaders have touted Centene’s selection of Charlotte for the facility as further evidence of the city’s growing tech workforce.
• Over the last year, Centene has hired about 700 employees in North Carolina. While its new offices are underway, the company has leased temporary space at Camp North End, as CBJ has reported.

Centene executives say the campus will eventually accommodate 6,000 employees, nearly twice its originally promised amount. When asked whether this means Centene could move its global headquarters to Charlotte, CEO Michael Neidorff said it is possible.

• “This is a great facility. We’ll see how things evolve,” Neidorff said. “Everything’s always on the table, but right now we have a wonderful headquarters (in St. Louis).”

Details: The campus in University City will include two office buildings, a data center and a corporate learning and development center. The second phase of construction will begin in 2024. The whole campus will boast a number of state-of-the-art amenities for employees, including:

• A childcare center
• Auditorium
• Fitness center
• Electric vehicle charging stations
• Walking trails

“When completed, this campus will serve as a model for the future of in-person innovation and work,” Neidorff said during a press conference.

• The Charlotte campus, the company also said, will provide “innovation and advanced technology” for Centene’s West Coast campus in Sacramento, as well as for its and global HQ in St. Louis.

Here’s a look at what the Centene facility looks like now, and what it’ll look like when it’s complete. Renderings are courtesy of Centene.