Quad Knopf president Mike Knopf shared some “exciting news” with his staff in the past few days. In a memo sent out Wednesday Aug 21,Knopf spilled the beans. “Our Visalia office will be moving to new quarters in downtown Visalia by the end of this year. Starting in 2014, we will have a new address; 901 E. Main Street!”
Knopf explained that the firm has been operating on a month-to-month lease in their current headquarter space on Cypress in West Visalia, but now the shareholders of the company will be investing in their own new corporate office at the corner of Burke and Main – only a few blocks away for the new city Civic Center project taking shape this summer.
The new Quad Knopf office will be some 12,00sf with 10,000sf for their use and 2000sf for lease. Knopf says the vacant gym building – originally built for industrial use in the 1960s – will get a makeover“top to bottom “remodeled into a”industrial tech”theme.
Quad Knopf is probably the oldest and largest planning and engineering firm in town with about 50 employees. Founded in Visalia in 1972 by Randy Zeeb and Harry Tow, Mike Knopf joined as a partner in 1998. Today the company as acts city engineering for 7 smaller cities, and contract Planners for several cities as well.
Quad Knopf will use their new redesign as a calling card for what they do – redesigning of buildings,neighborhoods and cities – transforming this windowless warehouse in the heart of what was the old Visalia auto sales district decades ago- now being transitioned into a new mixed -use government and office district anchored by the new city offices
Knopf makes reference to their ”pioneer” status,building a large office here. “We will be the first redeveloped office space in this part of the downtown, but our “pioneer” status shouldn’t last too long. The city of Visalia is currently designing their new 911 dispatch center on city-owned property two blocks to the North. Before too long, Burke Street may become a future main entrance into the City of Visalia’s new Civic center complex.”
City watchers will recall Buckman Mitchell is probably the first major company to take that pioneer plunge some years ago,before the recession, with a new building.
By contrast Mike notes in his office memo that West Visalia where they are relocating from, is being transitioned into a medical district with the rents that go with it. He shares that the new space even after the remodel – will be one third less than their rented space now.
After construction is completed,he expects to move in over the holidays this year.
Quad Knopf serves five major market sectors; municipal (cities and counties), Education (both k-12 and college level), energy (natural resources and infrastructure), water purveyors and public service districts, and private land development.
