Ambassadors plans new headquarters

Ambassadors Group, Inc., the Spokane company that sends travelers and students on worldwide and domestic trips, will relocate its headquarters to the West Plains.

Company CEO Jeff Thomas said on Thursday the company’s 200 workers will move in the fall of 2007 to new headquarters at the Pacific Northwest Technology Park on Highway 2 near Flint Road.

Thomas said publicly traded Ambassadors has informed investors the total project will cost less than $20 million. No construction contract has been awarded yet, leaving the company uncertain of the exact cost, he said.

Ambassadors has purchased 11 acres from Vandervert Construction for the project. The new office building will have about 100,000 square feet of space, said Thomas.

Its currently located at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Building at 110 S. Ferrall St., east of downtown Spokane. Thomas said workers are dispersed among five buildings and are hampered by inefficient building features. The company currently leases about 80,000 square feet in those buildings.

“The two (main) buildings we’re in were designed for multi-tenant use,” he said, resulting in wasted space caused by extra hallways and elevator columns.

The current location is also considered unsafe by some workers, he added. Security guards have been used at times to ensure safety of employees and visitors, Thomas said.

Another advantage of the new location will be adequate space for future growth. Corporate guidance statements anticipate that travel programs will continue generating strong company profits.

During 2005, the company sent about 30,000 students on “People to People” trips. About 80 percent of those trips were overseas. The company expects to send at least that many students abroad this year, mostly during the spring and summer.

Ambassadors reported revenue of about $69 million in 2005.