Elkridge Company Relocating to Downtown Columbia

A Howard County company announced Monday it will move its corporate headquarters from Elkridge to three floors of the office building at 70 Corporate Center in Downtown Columbia.

GP Strategies, a technology, counsulting and engineering company, signed a 12-year deal with Howard Hughes Co., the building's owner, to lease a 64,000-square-foot section of the building, according to a statement.

"The move achieves important goals for brining all of our Columbia area employees under one roof, providing a working environment that's suited to doing business in the 21st century and securing space for continued growth," said Sharon Esposito-Mayer, executive vice president of GP Strategies.

Howard Hughes Co. and County Executive Ken Ulman jointly announced the move in a statement on Monday.

"This is a significant agreement not just in terms of space and demand to be in Columbia, but also in terms of the type of tenant—global high tech consulting," said Ulman in a statement. "Our plan for downtown Columbia is gaining momentum, and this agreement will add to that energy and vitality."

This agreement is the latest in a series of announcements and ribbon cuttings happening in Downtown Columbia. Earlier this year construction began at the Mall in Columbia, which is undergoing an expansion that will add 40,000 square feet of retail space. Nearby, Howard Hughes and Kettler began construction of a $100 million apartment building across from Sears.

At the former Rouse Company building on the lakefront, Howard Hughes began renovations to turn the historic white structure into a grocery store for Whole Foods and a fitness center for Columbia Association.

GP Strategies is the first company to establish its world headquarters in the downtown area being redeveloped, according to Howard Hughes.

The company has 2,500 employees in 65 offices throughout the world and has been located in Howard County since its inception in 1966.

Its current headquarters in Elkridge is located at 6095 Marshalee Drive.

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