Home News CBJ Newsmakers: GoDaddy plans to move from Hiawatha to Cedar Rapids

CBJ Newsmakers: GoDaddy plans to move from Hiawatha to Cedar Rapids

This story is a part of the CBJ’s Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up from the staff of the Corridor Business Journal is a compilation of the year’s most noteworthy articles and projects, as told through stories that appeared in the bi-weekly issues of the CBJ. This story was originally published in Sep. 2022. GoDaddy has […]

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This story is a part of the CBJ’s Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up from the staff of the Corridor Business Journal is a compilation of the year’s most noteworthy articles and projects, as told through stories that appeared in the bi-weekly issues of the CBJ. This story was originally published in Sep. 2022.
GoDaddy has listed its Hiawatha office for sale and plans to move its operations to a smaller location in downtown Cedar Rapids, company officials have confirmed. The Tempe, Arizona-based company, founded in 1997, provides domain name registration, website hosting, email marketing and other services to a global customer base. With a large percentage of its employees working remotely since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, GoDaddy no longer needs the larger Hiawatha facility. The company communicated to employees its intent to move to a smaller facility in June, GoDaddy global vice president of real estate and workplace Calvin Crowder said. “This move represents our need for a smaller space, given (that) fewer employees use the office daily,” Mr. Crowder said via email. The company allowed guests and employees to return to the Hiawatha office, at 1 Parsons Drive, in August and expects to occupy the building for the remainder of 2022, Mr. Crowder said. “We are adapting in two ways,” Mr. Crowder said. “We are optimizing our office footprint globally. We are also using our offices with more intentionality, particularly when advantageous to collaborate and connect with one another in person. Our Iowa office will continue to be an essential place for our people to come together.” The company hasn’t yet announced a new downtown Cedar Rapids location. GoDaddy’s local workforce includes human resources, customer service and web development employees. Company officials declined to comment on its local employee headcount, though a company restructuring in June 2020 resulted in the loss of 134 jobs locally. At that time, the company reported 430 jobs in Iowa. According to the LoopNet listing, the 73,674-square-foot, two-story GoDaddy building in Hiawatha, built in 1991, is listed for $8.43 million. It includes more than 480 parking spaces, 584 cubicles, 11 conference rooms, two training facilities and four individual offices. GoDaddy completed an extensive $6 million renovation of the Hiawatha facility in 2017, including such amenities as a speakeasy-style bar, a casual work area with swings and relaxed seating, a fitness facility and a full-service cafeteria. A slide was also included to connect the building’s two floors, but was later removed. The facility was also expanded by 12,000 square feet as part of the project. The 1 Parsons Drive building had once been owned by GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons, who sold off his stake in GoDaddy and stepped down from its board of directors in 2018. It originally served as the location for Parsons Technology, a software development company launched by Mr. Parsons in the basement of his Cedar Rapids home in 1984 and later sold to Intuit for $64 million.

NEWSMAKERS UPDATE

Company plans early 2023 move

GoDaddy has told its Hiawatha-based employees it will “return” its offices to the Armstrong Centre, 222 Third Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids. The company plans to move from Hiawatha in early 2023, according to Kristy Nicholas, senior director of executive, financial and brand communications for GoDaddy. GoDaddy had temporarily shifted several employees to the Armstrong Centre in 2015 while the company renovated its Hiawatha facility. GoDaddy’s Hiawatha building remains on the market, and Ms. Nicholas said there are “no updates” regarding any potential sale or lease of that building. Ms. Nicholas also said GoDaddy, which was founded by former Iowa resident Bob Parsons, has no plans to end its presence in Iowa. “We love our Iowa team,” Ms. Nicholas said. “GoDaddy intends to maintain strong ties and involvement in the community given our wonderful history in Iowa.”

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