Humana CEO talks about company leaving iconic downtown Louisville tower
The iconic pink granite tower in downtown Louisville, which has been the headquarters for Humana since it opened in 1985, is officially for sale.
The listing of the building came one year after Humana announced it planned to consolidate its roughly 10,000 associates in Louisville into one location at the Humana Waterside and Clocktower, roughly one mile down Main Street.
"What is not changing is that we have a large associate base in Louisville; what is not changing is that we have a presence downtown," Humana President and CEO Jim Rechtin said Tuesday evening at the Greater Louisville Inc. annual meeting in Louisville. "What is changing is that we are going to go from having our team split between two locations ... and to get our team in a single location."
More: EXCLUSIVE: Humana to sell its iconic tower in downtown Louisville. Here's what we know
Douglas Edwards, senior vice president of enterprise associate and business solutions, previously told the Courier Journal the shift to one workspace allows for better energy for Humana, as the company has strongly embraced hybrid and remote work following the COVID pandemic.
During Rechtin's fireside style chat Tuesday at the Kentucky International Convention Center, he said once the decision to consolidate was made, it left Humana facing a decision on what to do with its famed tower, but he knew leaving it vacant in downtown for a prolonged period was "not good for Louisville."
"We're trying to get the best solution we can," Rechtin said as he noted the company has been working closely with local government officials to find a productive use of the building for the future.
The tower will be listed for sale without a specific price tag attached in the coming weeks, the Courier Journal first reported.
The sale listing offers the Humana Tower, 500 W. Main St., the neighboring building that is home to the luxury gym Wel at Humana, 522 W. Main St., and The Exchange, a courtyard area with additional meeting spaces on the backside of the tower backing up to Vincenzo's restaurant. These properties can be purchased together or individually, a company spokesperson told the Courier Journal.
Additionally, Wel at Humana, which is open to both employees and community members, will close at the end of the year. While Humana employees will lose access once it closes, Edwards said they will have access to a fitness center at the Waterside campus.
"We are not moving out of downtown, we are moving four blocks east," said Joe Ventura, chief legal officer at Humana on Tuesday.
Meet Humana's new CEO: Humana announces new CEO and president Jim Rechtin to take over July 1. What we know
Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @oliviamevans_.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Humana CEO talks about company leaving downtown Louisville tower
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