Wahoo firm moving into former Blood Bank office

Rob Brigham looked at the building at 27th Street and Fletcher Avenue as a possible Lincoln office for his growing construction services firm seven years ago when it was up for sale but ultimately decided it was too much space at the time.

So when he found out through the grapevine that the building was going up for sale again earlier this year, he jumped at the chance.

Brigham's firm, JEO Consulting, closed on the building July 1, paying just under $1.5 million.

"I guess it was destiny," said Brigham, who is the CEO of the Wahoo-based firm.

JEO Consulting, which offers engineering, architecture, planning, surveying and other construction-related services, has been growing rapidly, particularly in Lincoln.

The firm added about 20 people in the past year, Brigham said, about half of those in its Lincoln office. The company now has about 150 employees overall, about 40-45 of them in Lincoln, which is the company's biggest office.

He said the company's rapid growth in Lincoln has made it a bit apprehensive about buying a permanent office, for fear the company would quickly outgrow the space.

The 27th and Fletcher building, which had been home to the Nebraska Community Blood Bank, offers plenty of room to grow, Brigham said. It has about 6,700 square feet on one floor, with a full basement. The company also plans a 1,200-square-foot addition.

"It's just a great building," he said. "It gives us flexibility to do some things for our employees."

Cheever Construction is working on remodeling the interior of the building, work that should be done by the last week of August, and Brigham said the office will be up and running by Sept. 1.

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Wahoo firm moving into former Blood Bank office