National Industries for the Blind to Lease Space to Kaiser Permanente in New Headquarters Building

Healthcare organization will join nonprofit organization in 100,000 square foot building in Alexandria’s growing Potomac Yard neighborhood

January 3, 2017, Alexandria, VA – National Industries for the Blind (NIB), a nonprofit organization and the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind, announced today that it signed a ten-year lease with Kaiser Permanente. NIB started construction in October on its new headquarters at The Exchange at Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kaiser Permanente will lease approximately 40,000 square feet of the 100,000 square foot headquarters. The new location will be Kaiser Permanente’s first Alexandria office.

“Our new headquarters will better position NIB to fulfill its mission, and we are delighted to lease space to an organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the community,” said NIB President and CEO Kevin Lynch.

NIB’s new seven-story headquarters is expected to open in mid-2018 and will provide an expanded training facility in a modern and professional setting that incorporates the latest accessibility technologies and universal design principles.

“We are excited to provide another center that supports our mission of promoting the health of the members and communities we serve,” said Kim Horn, president, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. “This new medical facility is an important investment in our growth and a milestone along our path as the Mid-Atlantic States’ leading provider of care and coverage and the model for how health should be delivered across the nation.”

Alexandria is a growing city and The Exchange at Potomac Yard is a vital component in its development. NIB’s new building will be centrally located with easy access to dining, hotel and shopping options for visitors and employees. Across the street will be the Potomac Yard Metro Station, scheduled to open in 2020. MetroWay bus rapid transit will offer service in front of the building entrance.

The Exchange at Potomac Yard is an approximately two million square foot town center development that includes a 65,000 square foot Giant grocery store and more than 500 units of residential apartments. The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) will be built next door to NIB’s building.

NIB is working with a number of partners in construction of the new headquarters, including MRP Realty and The JBG Companies, who are co-developing The Exchange at Potomac Yard.

NIB is committed to investing in the future of its associated nonprofit agencies and their employees. With nearly 70 percent of working-age Americans who are blind not employed, NIB is dedicated to creating, sustaining and improving employment for people who are blind.

###

About National Industries for the Blind

Since 1938, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) has focused on enhancing the opportunities for economic and personal independence of people who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and its network of associated nonprofit agencies are the nation’s largest employer of people who are blind through the manufacture and provision of SKILCRAFT® and other products and services of the AbilityOne® Program. For more information about NIB, visit NIB.org.

About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States

Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, provides and coordinates complete health care services for more than 660,000 members through 29 medical centers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization comprising Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features more than 1,300 physicians. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is the only Private plan available through employer-sponsored health coverage in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia — and one of only 13 Private health plans available nationwide — to earn a 5 out of 5 rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2016–2017. In addition, Kaiser Permanente has the No. 1 Medicare plan in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit kp.org or follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/KPMidAtlantic, or Facebook, www.facebook.com/kpthrive. 

Contact:
Laura Reimers
Vice President, Communications
703-310-0453
lreimers@nib.org