With too much space and more remote workers, State Farm said Thursday that it plans to consolidate its workforce into the Corporate South complex in Bloomington and close its Corporate Headquarters and Illinois Operations Center by the end of 2027.
It’s a major shift for Bloomington-Normal’s largest employer, with around 13,000 local workers, and one that could significantly impact local government taxing bodies and the commercial real estate market. In its statement Thursday, State Farm did not disclose plans for what to do with those two properties once they’ve moved employees out.
“While we don’t know yet what will happen to the Illinois Operations Center or Corporate Headquarters, we will eventually pass back savings to our customers by reducing costs associated with unoccupied space,” State Farm CEO Jon Farney said. “We simply have too much office space in Bloomington – about double what we need.”
Added State Farm spokesperson Gina Morss-Fischer: “We’ll keep everybody updated on those plans as they develop. And we hope these spaces continue to support the Bloomington-Normal community in new ways moving forward.”
Corporate South is located on Bloomington’s southeast side, just a few blocks away from the Corporate Headquarters building that stands as a landmark on Veterans Parkway adjacent to the OSF HealthCare campus.
Corporate South is the newest of the three facilities, which was built in the 1990s and finished in 2001. It will be renovated as part of the consolidation, and preparation work and upgrades are already underway, the company said.
“We value the flexibility and energy of working together, and Corporate South can accommodate all of our approximately 13,000 local employees in that space. So that when we are together, we can all be in one place together. That just makes sense, to all be under one roof, versus having three underutilized facilities,” Morss-Fischer added.
After years of growing its footprint in Bloomington, State Farm has now moved again to shrink its square footage. The company announced plans in 2018 to move employees out of its Downtown Bloomington building, which was bought by a developer.
State Farm is “proud that we can all come together at Corporate South," she said.
“Our commitment here in Illinois is pretty clear,” she said. “It’s home.”
Meanwhile, State Farm's announcement on Thursday also signaled a shift to more in-person work.
“While State Farm does not expect a full-time return to the office for hybrid employees, they will be together more in the future. In Bloomington, Corporate South will accommodate all hybrid employees. Each business area determines work schedules for its employees,” the company said.
This story will be updated.
