Lanham, Md. and Columbia, Md. -- February 20, 2007 -- Merkle (www.merkleinc.com), one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing database marketing agencies, announced it will be moving its corporate headquarters to Columbia, Maryland. Construction will begin in April on the five-story 120,000 square-foot Class A building and is scheduled for completion in June 2008.
Merkle’s new office campus will be located in Columbia Gateway, a 584-acre corporate business park on MD Route 175 and I-95 in Columbia, Maryland. The first building will feature office space for up to 550 employees and a 10,000-square foot state-of-the-art data center. In addition, Merkle has purchased an adjacent 4-acre parcel to accommodate a second building of approximately 70,000 square feet that would accommodate an additional 350 employees. Merkle estimates that it will invest approximately $65 million in its new corporate headquarters’ campus in Columbia Gateway.
“Merkle’s decision to locate in Maryland is a testament to the strong partnership that exists between our State government and the Howard County Economic Development Authority to promote Maryland as the ideal business location,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Working together, we can build from our strengths – a highly educated workforce, supportive business environment, excellent infrastructure, a lower cost of living and high quality of life – qualities that are critical to companies when they are deciding where to locate and expand.”
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said, “We are pleased that Merkle will be moving its headquarters to Howard County. I applaud the work of our Economic Development Authority and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development for working to keep this outstanding company in Maryland. Merkle’s decision confirms our belief that Howard County is an attractive home for corporate headquarters."
Currently, Merkle employs approximately 1,000 staff members throughout the country, 800 of which are located in Maryland. Of these, 350 employees are located at its Lanham, Maryland headquarters. Merkle plans to significantly increase its staff at the new location shortly after the opening.
Merkle has assembled an innovative project team to facilitate the development of its new corporate headquarters campus. The building is being developed and constructed by Manekin LLC, the largest full-service commercial real estate company operating in every sector of the Baltimore-Washington marketplace. The architect for the project is Design Collective, Inc., an award-winning multi-disciplinary design firm. Interior work has been contracted to STUDIO B2SJ, a multi-discipline architecture and design firm. The Staubach Company acted as a consultant throughout the project.
David Williams, President and CEO, Merkle, said, “After evaluating many locations inside and outside Maryland, we are extremely pleased to be constructing our new headquarters in Columbia, Maryland. In my opinion, Columbia Gateway is the premier location in Howard County, and is home to an array of world-class companies. Our new headquarters will place Merkle in an area with a strong talent base of highly skilled professionals, and will provide ample room to accommodate our future growth plans and enable us to provide an outstanding work environment for our staff. For the last 18 years, Merkle has enjoyed a successful relationship with the state of Maryland, which has allowed us to grow from 25 employees to the 1,000 we have today. We look forward to continuing that growth in the future.”
About Merkle
Merkle is one of the nation’s largest providers of data-driven marketing solutions that enable large national organizations to maximize the results from their marketing investment. Merkle provides customer strategy, business intelligence and analytics, data sourcing, media targeting and measurement, and marketing technology solutions to Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations. Merkle’s clients include many leading corporations, such as Procter & Gamble, DIRECTV, and Dell; and major nonprofit organizations including Arthritis Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and CARE. With approximately 1,000 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered near Washington, D.C. in Lanham, Maryland with additional locations in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Hagerstown, Maryland. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-MERKLE or visit www.merkleinc.com.
