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Hundreds attend as top Dow Chemical Company officials speak, celebrating the grand opening of the Global Dow Center, its new global headquarters on Monday, July 31, 2017 in Midland. (Jake May | MLive.com)
New Global Dow Center opens in Midland
The Dow Chemical Co. celebrated the grand opening of its new corporate center in Midland Monday, July 31.
The new six-story, 184,000-square-foot Global Dow Center includes space for approximately 470 employees and contractors, according to a Dow news release. It replaces the former 2020 Willard H. Dow Center in Midland and is part of the company’s 150-acre corporate headquarters campus located off East Patrick Road.
Jake May | MLive.com
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Hundreds attend as top Dow Chemical Company officials speak, celebrating the grand opening of the Global Dow Center, its new global headquarters on Monday, July 31, 2017 in Midland. (Jake May | MLive.com)
Grand opening event
About 500 people attended a grand opening ceremony Monday morning, July 31. They included Dow employees, current and former Dow leaders, media, elected officials and other members of the community.
Read more about the event here.
Jake May | MLive.com
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Hundreds attend as top Dow Chemical Co. officials speak, celebrating the grand opening of the Global Dow Center, its new global headquarters on Monday, July 31, 2017 in Midland. (Jake May | MLive.com)
Ribbon cutting
A ribbon cutting was performed by Andrew Liveris, Dow’s chairman and CEO, Howard Ungerleider, vice chairman and chief financial officer, James “Jim” R. Fitterling, president and chief operating officer, Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. and member of the Dow Board of Directors, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, who is a former Dow chemist, Midland Mayor Maureen Donker, and former Dow Chairman and CEO William Stavropoulous, Frank Popoff and Paul Oreffice.
Speaking to the crowd, Liveris said, “the excitement is palpable.”
Jake May | MLive.com
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Members of the media tour the new Global Dow Center in Midland Monday, July 31, 2017. (Jake May | MLive.com)
Media tour
Members of the media were taken on a partial tour of the building following the ribbon cutting.
Dow’s new corporate center features open office space, ergonomic desks that allow workers to sit or stand, private “walk stations” with treadmill desks, and kitchens where employees can take a break, work and mingle.
Jake May | MLive.com
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A few hours after the grand opening of the new Global Dow Center Monday, July 31, 2017, company leaders performed a ceremonial ground breaking for a new $100 million Innovation Center at the heritage Dow Corning campus in Bay County’s Williams Township. (Jake May | MLive.com)
$100 million Innovation Center
A few hours after the grand opening of the new Global Dow Center, company officials performed a ceremonial ground breaking for a new $100 million Innovation Center at the heritage Dow Corning campus in Bay County’s Williams Township.
Liveris announced plans for the new research and development center in Midland in December 2016.
The new facility will house approximately 200 research and development employees.
According to Dow, the Innovation Center, to be located at the Heritage Dow Corning Corporate Campus, will “house scientists and engineers who will focus research and development activities on advancing solutions for home and personal care products; broadening Dow’s energy-saving building technologies; enhancing materials for critical infrastructure; and driving closer partnerships with automakers as they further accelerate efforts to light-weight automobiles and develop hybrid, electric and autonomous transportation solutions.”
Read more about the Innovation Center and the ground breaking here.
Jake May | MLive.com
