The Home of the Whopper is Moving; New Facility Offers More Amenities At Lower Occupancy Cost Than Existing Site.Business Editors NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo & Logo are available in a Smart News Release(TM) on Business Wire's Home Page at www.businesswire.com and at www.newstream.com MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 2001 Burger King Corporation broke ground today on its new 231,000-square-foot headquarters building. The new "Home of the WHOPPER Whopper - WarGames (R)" will be located at 5505 Blue Lagoon Blue Lagoon
Penelas, a Cuban-American, attended college at St. Thomas University. and other dignitaries participated in the ceremony with newly appointed Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of BURGER KING(R) Corporation John Dasburg, who takes the reins of the company on April 1. The new facility will be ready for occupancy by Fall 2002. "This new building allows us to reduce our overall occupancy costs while meeting the specific needs of our business. We'll also be in a more visible and convenient location," Dasburg said. The nine-story "smart" building will incorporate technological enhancements as well as features unique to the Burger King system including a test kitchen and sensory lab for development of new products, Burger King University Burger King University was Burger King's response to the Hamburger University used by McDonald's, (their rivals since its inception in the 1950s) in the 1970s. Like the Hamburger University, Burger King University is used for training. and other special training facilities - all at a lower rate per square foot than the current headquarters. The building will also offer such conveniences as a cafeteria, parking garage, credit union, flexible meeting room facilities, and teleconferencing capability that will speed communications within the company and reduce travel expenditures. Burger King Corporation signed a multi-year lease in December 2000 on the 5.2-acre site with the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, owners of the property. Burger King Corporation will be the building's sole tenant. Although other sites were considered, including out-of-state locations, Burger King Corporation's future will remain rooted in its hometown soil. Nearly half a century ago, James W. McLamore and David Edgerton opened the first restaurant at 3090 NW 36th Street, Miami, less than five miles from the site of the new "Home of the WHOPPER(R)." "Retaining a global corporation like Burger King, when communities from all over the nation are clamoring to lure them away, is a testament to the power of what can be accomplished when government and business work together," Governor Bush said. "Burger King restaurants span the globe, but the place the Corporation calls home is where it was founded, here in Miami," Dasburg said. "With construction of the new headquarters building underway, our commitment to Miami continues." To commemorate the day, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas declared Friday, March 2nd as HOME OF THE WHOPPER(R) Day. Other speakers included Frank Nero, President of the Beacon Council, and acting CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. for Burger King Corporation, Colin Storm. Centex-Rooney Construction Company, Inc., will construct the precast concrete and glass structure. Centex-Rooney, Florida's largest general contractor and construction manager, is a subsidiary of Centex Construction Group, a division of Dallas-based Centex Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CTX CTX Context (Management; Tandem) CTX Centex Corporation (stock symbol) CTX Centrex CTX Cyclophosphamide CTX Corporate Trade Exchange CTX Cytoxan CTX Cholera Toxin CTX Clinical Trial Exemption ), a FORTUNE 500 company. Burger King Corporation created the American icon, the HOME OF THE WHOPPER(R), in 1957. The company and its franchises operate more than 11,340 restaurants in all-50 states and 58 countries and international territories around the world, with more than 92% of BURGER KING(R) restaurants owned and operated by independent franchises. Since the company's founding in Miami in 1954, the BURGER KING(R) brand has become recognized for great flame-broiled taste and HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) food customization. In fiscal year 2000, the BURGER KING(R) system had system-wide sales of $11.4 billion. Burger King Corporation is a part of Diageo (NYSE:DEO DEO Deodorant DEO Diversification de l'Economie de l'Ouest Canada (Western Economic Diversification Canada) DEO Diversification de l'Économie de l'Ouest Canada (Western Economic Diversification Canada) ), the international food and drinks company. To learn more about the BURGER KING(R) system, please visit the company's website at www.burgerking.com. Note: Photos are available at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.030201/bb5 http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.030201/bb5a |
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