Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Moving day
American Express opens its new regional hub in Sunrise.
After nearly two years of construction, Monday is moving day to Sunrise for the first wave of American Express employees currently in Plantation, Miramar and Miami.
The modern glass building, on the southeast corner of Northwest 136th Street and Sunrise Boulevard, is a new regional headquarters for the financial services company that will house about 3,000 employees in customer service, travel-related services, marketing, human resources, legal services and other internal operation jobs.
Each weekend through March, 200 to 300 employees will be moved into the 400,000-square foot structure of two glass-sided buildings joined by an atrium. Building the new regional headquarters cost about $200 million, according to American Express.
The building is designed to be collaborative and make employees’ lives easier with on-site nurses, an exercise center, back-up daycare for employees’ children, a cafeteria and room for private parties, Starbucks-trained baristas, a “play” room with video and other games, concierges for their technology needs, quiet rooms for contemplation and even booths to make private phone calls.
“I want to make sure people feel really good about coming to work. This was really designed with them in mind,” said Doria Camaraza, the top executive over the regional hub who also heads global recruitment for American Express.
She said the new office is the fulfillment of what she has been working to put in place for 11 years.
“I’m hanging my hat on really ensuring we have a very engaged workforce,” said Camaraza, who will hold her quarterly “town halls” and recognition ceremonies for top-performing employees in the atrium, as well as on video screens throughout the building.
“The work environment is changing. People aren’t sitting in their offices and having meetings. There’s a collaborative nature to the way people meet and work,” Camaraza said.
Just a few years ago, the company considered moving the operation to North Carolina or Arizona.
Instead, the credit card company bought the large parcel of land in Sunrise — a rare find in Broward County — from Coral Gables-based Flagler Development. American Express acquired the land for $21 million, breaking ground on the new regional hub project in 2015.
American Express’ decision to remain in South Florida retained thousands of jobs. But it also was designed to consolidate regional staff, which numbered about 3,500 in 2013. In recent years, American Express closed its Weston office, which had handled billing and distribution, which affected 300 employees, according to state layoff notifications.
To help keep American Express, Sunrise approved up to $10 million in potential economic incentives to the company, tied to the retention of 1,000 jobs and the creation of at least 100 jobs.
The incentives kick in once American Express is added to tax rolls and new jobs are confirmed.
“There’s a collaborative nature to the way people meet and work.” Doria Camaraza, head of global recruitment for American Express