OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It took two years to get to this day.
"It's nice to get to this point where we are actually building and not just thinking about what we are going to build," said Mutual of Omaha CEO James Blackledge.
Mutual of Omaha is moving its headquarters downtown and leaving midtown. It’s a move Blackledge said initially worried him.
"We have made a lot of investment in Midtown crossing and the neighborhood has really benefited from that, and so we really want to see, our current buildings be re-developed," said Blackledge.
Blackledge said seeing another project in the works, the streetcar could help the redevelopment.
"For us what it does is, it makes the redevelopment of Midtown possible and attractive," he said.
Omaha Streetcar Authority President Jay Noddle said this groundbreaking gives the streetcar momentum.
"This is like jet fuel, for a streetcar project. It validates, the premise that if we build the right kind of infrastructure, in our urban core and in our case, the streetcar development will come," said Noodle.
The Mutual of Omaha building will be 44 floors and 800,000 square feet. Although it appears larger, it is not.
"We have 1.7 million square feet in our facility today. So, we are downsizing rather dramatically because we are working more hybrid is the way I would describe it," said Blackledge.
Mayor Jean Stothert said this development, marked by the groundbreaking, is a part of the vision for the future of downtown Omaha.
"It's been a big part of Mutual of Omaha's success, as I said in my remarks and we are hoping that it will continue and we will be a part of Omaha's success, moving forward as well," said Blackledge.
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