Wellmark moving Cedar Rapids operation to new downtown building

Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa will move its downtown Cedar Rapids operation later this year into a new downtown office building slated for completion later this year.

The health insurance provider has leased 13,000 square feet of space in the new building under construction at Third Avenue and Sixth Street SE by Steve Emerson. It plans to move from the GreatAmerica building into the new quarters during the fourth quarter, Wellmark spokeswoman Courtney Greene said.

It becomes the second tenant announced for the 45,000-square-foot, three-level building, which is located just outside the area affected by the record June 2008 Cedar River flood crest. CliftonLarsonAllen LLP will lease the third floor to house about 40 employees.

About 50 Wellmark employees work in customer service, health care provider relations and sales in the Cedar Rapids office.

The new office building is outside the downtown area that flooded during the record June 2008 flood crest, but that is not one of the main reasons for the move, according to Wellmark Vice President of Property Management Matt Brown.

Brown said business continuity planning is always a consideration, but Wellmark decided to move primarily due to space design and parking needs. The new location will allow Wellmark's operations to all be housed on the same floor of a building, and will have better parking availability, Brown said.

"We're excited to stay downtown where the hospitals are and the medical mall is going to be," Brown said.

Brown praised the city's rebound from the June 2008 Cedar River flood. Wellmark was not on a ground floor space directly impacted by flood damage, although like other upper floor tenants was affected by disruption to utilities and building services.

Headquartered in Des Moines, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is Iowa's largest health insurance provider.