The National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) have agreed on a new, nearly 30-year lease that allows the Pork Board to remain in its Des Moines, IA, headquarters building until 2037.
The office building at 1776 NW 114th St. is owned by NPPC, and served as the organization’s headquarters until 2001, when a court-approved settlement ended NPPC’s role as general contractor for the pork checkoff program. The Pork Board has occupied the building since that time.
The building was constructed in 1979, mainly with contributions from thousands of pork producers from across the country.
“There is a strong emotional attachment between producers and this building,” says Lynn Harrison, Elk Mound, WI, pork producer and Pork Board president. “The way it was built – with individual contributions – represents the way we continue to work today. We bring producers and their resources together to accomplish things they couldn’t achieve on their own. The building is a powerful symbol of that philosophy.”
The Pork Board’s staff and board members discussed other options for their headquarters late last year as their lease on the building was expiring.
“It was clear almost immediately that pork producers want to keep the building in the family,” says Harrison. “This new lease, with the rent to be determined by third-party appraisals, assures that will happen.”