After more than 50 years in St. Paul, a technology company that serves the financial industry is moving its headquarters to downtown Minneapolis, where it plans to consolidate its existing Twin Cities offices into recently modernized, tech-friendly office space.
The Merrill Corporation, which provides technology for investment banks, law firms and corporate mergers and acquisitions, is expected to announce on Tuesday that it will relocate its global base of operations across the Mississippi River in early 2020.
The company — about half of which is based in Minnesota — currently employs 221 workers in St. Paul and 134 in the Minneapolis North Loop, though Merrill expects to grow its numbers in downtown Minneapolis.
The company, which was founded in St. Paul in 1968, has maintained a decades-long presence at 1 Merrill Circle, located just off Snelling Avenue and Energy Park Drive, in a two-story, 50,000-square-foot building built in 1986, as well as two adjoining structures. The three structures were sold last year to a real estate developer.
The new location in the Baker Center at 733 Marquette Ave. will replace both its St. Paul headquarters and North Loop offices. The skyway-connected center, which spans four buildings, recently underwent a $25 million renovation guided by Minneapolis-based RSP Architects.
In addition to being situated closer to financial services firms such as Ameriprise, the new headquarters will be about an eight-minute walk from the Government Plaza Metro Transit Station, which is serviced by both the Blue and Green light-rail lines.
Among other flourishes, a glass-encased, multi-story lobby now gives the center strong street-level presence. Advertised amenities include flexible workspaces, a rooftop event space, concierge services and a fitness center.
Merrill has evolved over the years from providing printing and communications for the finance industry to serving as a technology consultant for corporations pursuing business mergers and acquisitions of new companies. It has sold key units to companies worldwide, a divestiture strategy aimed at focusing on its core applications, such as its DataSiteOne analytics and security software.
It currently has 25 locations across 13 countries, and employs 670 workers worldwide.
The company had recently shown a growing focus on its Minneapolis operations. Merrill this year named Dixon Gould as chief information officer and Deborah LaMere as vice president of human resources, both of whom are based in Minneapolis. Chief Financial Officer Tom Donnelly is also based in Minneapolis.
