HP Spends $50 Million To Update Boise Idaho Facility

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HP Spends $50 Million To Update Boise Idaho Facility
Executives say a $50 million renovation cut costs and opened space for better facilities and new businessesHewlett-Packard, founded in a Los Altos, Calif., garage in 1939, came to Boise almost 40 years ago to launch its printer business.“When HP moved here in ’73, it was a game-changer for the Valley,” says Von Hansen, vice president and general manager in the Imaging and Printing Group.

HP is experiencing another watershed moment in Boise. Over the past two years, it has emptied under-used buildings on and off its rambling Boise campus and consolidated its staff, reduced from its heyday, and moved it into the renovated space.

HP doesn’t manufacture printers in Boise anymore, but it still designs, develops, tests and markets them from here.

Almost 50 percent of HP Boise is in the laser printer and imaging group. The rest of the campus includes Enterprise Services (formerly EDS), corporate departments such as human resources and information technology, a portion of the personal computer Personal Systems Group and HP’s home-shopping network with corresponding call centers.

It employs almost 4,000 people and about 1,500 contract workers.

Eight buildings on the Boise campus at 11311 W. Chinden Blvd. were built before 1990, when products were manufactured in Boise. As manufacturing and related jobs have gone, parts of some buildings have been left vacant and others sparsely populated.

In the past few years, all operations have been reorganized and fitted into five fully utilized buildings.HP Boise hopes to attract other HP groups or outside businesses to fill the three empty buildings, Hansen says.“We’ve positioned our site for growth,”said Mike Kaltenecker, site operations manager.

About $50 million has been invested in modifications and renovations, including an area with displays of HP Boise’s LaserJet printer history and newest models; the digital Oasis that allows employees to use the latest HP equipment to print personal projects; and a trendy cafe with upgraded food and furnishings.

The investment underscores the importance of the Boise campus for the company at large, Kaltenecker said.Some of the space savings were created by downsizing large cubicles and defining new meeting spaces for multiple groups or events, and smaller focus rooms where up to four people can meet in private.

Four off-site buildings also have been vacated, including the Bethel Court Data Center near Franklin and Maple Grove roads, which HP sold to Benaroya Co. in June. The other three sites — two of them former EDS locations — have been leased.Using the space more effectively and efficiently saves money and opens up three buildings, which executives hope to fill with other HP divisions or unrelated businesses, Kaltenecker said

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December 8, 2011 at 8:34 AM