When Mutual of Omaha announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Midtown to a new downtown tower, the move signaled more than a change of address. It marked one of the most consequential corporate investments in Omaha’s recent history, one with ripple effects across job growth, urban density, transportation strategy, and neighborhood redevelopment.
The new headquarters, rising above the city’s traditional central business district, represents a roughly $600 million investment and will eventually accommodate up to 4,000 employees. City leaders and developers alike say the decision reinforces the value of staying in the urban core while unlocking long-term redevelopment opportunities.
For Steve Jensen, economic development director with the City of Omaha, Mutual’s choice to move downtown carries symbolic and practical weight. “The key thing for the urban core is that Mutual has chosen to stay there,” Jensen said. “They’ve been in Midtown, but by relocating slightly east, they’re keeping their headquarters—and their employees—in the urban core.”…