AUSTIN, Texas - (Feb. 27, 2009) - The Seton Family of Hospitals, the largest private employer in Central Texas, held a ceremony today to celebrate the relocation of its network administration offices to East Austin in the Mueller community.
The new Seton Family of Hospitals Administration Offices, located at 1345 Philomena St. just south of Seton's Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas (east of I-35 and between 51st St. and Airport Blvd.), consolidates the majority of Seton's leadership and administrative staff in one central location.
"We're proud to be a leader in Central Texas' economy and health care infrastructure and now we're proud to call East Austin home," said Charles J. Barnett, FACHE, president and CEO of the Seton Family Hospitals. "Relocating our administrative staff to the former Mueller airport site creates opportunities for us to serve more patients in our existing clinical spaces and puts us in the prime location to best serve the region as it continues to grow."
Seton has fostered strong connections with health care, business, faith, education and neighborhood leaders in East Austin and throughout Central Texas. This new location gives hundreds of Seton associates the daily chance to utilize the development at Mueller by working, shopping, eating and living in this unique community.
"Adding one of Austin's most notable corporate citizens to the eastside community is a huge boost to the ongoing revitalization of the area," said Texas House of Representative Eddie Rodriguez. "Seton is to be commended for making this commitment to the central city and helping attract even more exciting economic growth and jobs to our urban core."
Approximately 700 Seton associates have relocated to the new office building, including human resources, facilities, legal services, finance, marketing, planning and administrative leadership. Prior to the move, Seton's administration offices were located at Seton Medical Center
Austin (SMCA) and in numerous other locations. The vacated space at SMCA will be redesigned to accommodate patients and hospital administration.
The four-story building was developed and is owned and managed by Catellus Development Group. The building, which features many unique environmentally friendly elements, is seeking a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council and an Austin Energy 4 Star rating. The Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, also a member of the Seton Family and located across the street, was recently awarded the first Platinum LEED designation in the world for a hospital. The environmental commitment of the development was a key factor in Seton's decision to locate both the hospital and offices at this location.
"With this relocation and this building, Seton has demonstrated once again it has the vision to recognize all of the advantages of setting up shop in a walkable, inspiring and environmentally sound community," said Matt Whelan, senior vice president of Catellus Development Group, the master developer of Mueller. "We're so proud to welcome Seton as the latest addition to the growing list of employers at Mueller and we look forward to continuing our work with exceptional partners like Seton to develop vibrant and fulfilling office environments for their employees."
As part of the grand opening ceremony, a print of East Austin artist Fidencio Durán's "Montopolis, U.S.A." was reproduced into an enormous puzzle. East Austin representatives of health care, business, faith, education and neighborhood assembled the puzzle together, symbolizing Seton's connection to the community. The print of Durán's work, which was originally commissioned by Tokyo Electron, will be on display in the new building.
Seton is proud to have four hospitals – the only hospitals in Central Texas - that have earned the