Knowledge Services gets extension on Fishers HQ

Knowledge Services has been given two more years to begin construction of its new headquarters in Fishers, a project that was first expected to be complete this year. The company has also been given an extension to meet its goal of hiring 400 people.

In June 2017, Indianapolis-based Knowledge Services announced it planned to build a $6.7 million, 80,000-square-foot-corporate headquarters on USA Parkway north of 106^th Street.

Knowledge Services’ sister company, Green Acres Technology Park LLC, invested some $17 million to buy an 18-acre site to the south of Navient Corp.’s offices to accommodate the project.

Knowledge Services plans to build its headquarters on a portion of the land and develop the rest of the site into an office park that could include retail space. Creating a master plan for the entire site has delayed construction, Fishers city officials said.

The city of Fishers and Knowledge Services (also known as GuideSoft Inc.) entered into an economic development agreement in 2017 in which the city approved a 10-year real property tax abatement worth an estimated $1.2 million and a $500,000 contribution from tax increment financing district revenue to offset the cost of land acquisition and construction.

As part of that agreement, Knowledge Services was required to begin construction of the headquarters by the end of 2018.

Knowledge Services now has until April 30, 2021, to begin construction and until Oct. 31, 2023, to meet its employment commitment. The Fishers City Council approved an amendment to the agreement at its meeting earlier this month authorizing the extension.

Fishers Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner told the City Council Knowledge Services is still “very dedicated” to Fishers and has asked for the extension to get the project right.

“This is their statement piece. This is the showcase of who this company is and for their employees, they’ve had a thoughtful and long, evolving process,” she said.

Knowledge Services representatives say they’re finalizing development plans for the remaining acreage.

“Interest in the property continues to exceed our expectations,” Brady Hagerty, a marketing associate for Knowledge Services, said in an email to IBJ. “The construction timeline was extended to implement required headquarter design changes and to ensure that our development plans continue to align with the City of Fishers’ vision. We continue to make progress and look forward to calling Fishers home.”