Ecolab Buys 17-Story Building To Serve As Headquarters

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Ecolab Inc. announced Friday it is purchasing a 17-story office building in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, and will consolidate its local staff and operations there by the end of 2018.

Ecolab is a cleaning, food safety and pest-control services company that has had operations in St. Paul since its founding in 1923. The company purchased the new building, called the North Tower, from insurance company, Travelers.

Terms of the purchase, which is expected to close in the third quarter, were not disclosed.

Ecolab said it will relocate its headquarters and staff from three buildings elsewhere in downtown St. Paul to the North Tower. The company plans to begin that process later this year.

Constructed in 1999, the North Tower has 882,000 square feet of space, which includes office space, a data center, and building common areas.

Shares of Ecolab Inc. fell $1.63, or 1.4 percent, to $115.20 in trading Friday. Its shares are up almost 7 percent over the past year.

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