ORLANDO, Fla. -- SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment broke ground on its new Orlando headquaters last week.
- SeaWorld breaks ground on new headquarters
- Building will house both corporate and park employees
- New facility expected to open in fall 2019
The three-story, 40,725 square foot facility will house both corporate and SeaWorld Orlando employees.
"Today is much more than the groundbreaking of a new building," interim CEO John Reilly said on Thursday. "It is about the foundation we are cointinuing to fortify and build upon as a company to extend and carry out our mission--to save species, learn about them, protect them, educate others about them and help them flourish, both in our care and in the wild."
Community and tourism leaders like Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Visit Orlando's George Aquel were in attendance.
SeaWorld recently increased the hourly minimum wage to $11 for workers at its Orlando parks. The company also anounced last week that the U.S. Department of Justice had ended its investigation into whether former SeaWorld executives misled investors about the impact of the 2013 documentary Blackfish.
The new headquarters is expected to open in fall 2019.