German construction giant Bilfinger Berger recently announced that it will relocate its U.S. corporate headquarters to Vancouver, Wash.

Bilfinger Berger Civil, Inc. has signed a lease to move its U.S. headquarters operations from Longmont, Colo., to the Columbia Tech Center in Vancouver. Located in east Vancouver, Columbia Tech Center, is a mixed-use, 400-acre master-planned business park. The company expects to begin operating at its new 14,431 square foot facility in March and will grow to approximately 50 employees in the near future.

With more than 50,000 employees worldwide and a global output volume of $7.4 billion (EUR 6.1 billion), Bilfinger Berger is among the leading players worldwide for major infrastructure projects.

Bilfinger Berger looked at several communities in the Pacific Northwest before selecting Washington, and ultimately Vancouver. Vancouver was able to offer several advantages including the Portland International Airport, competitive wage rates, and available facilities with room to expand, Neal said. The biggest advantage was the ability to offer nonstop service to Frankfurt via Lufthansa Airlines, where Bilfinger Berger is headquartered, as well as direct connections to Asia, Canada, Mexico and other Major U.S. cities.

Bilfinger Berger has offices throughout the world that include numerous branches and affiliated companies. Bilfinger Berger’s civil division is among the leading players worldwide for major infrastructure projects, with expertise in major project, bridge building, tunneling, foundation engineering, and environmental technology. The company also offers design and turnkey construction of building and industrial projects.

“Vancouver is a great place to work and live, and we are looking forward to getting settled in our new office,” said G.M. (Pat) Stricklin, President and Managing Director. “We also greatly appreciate CREDC's (Columbia River Economic Development Corp.) assistance in finding office space and identifying reliable sources for the business services we will need.”