News

Sandhills Publishing Announces Cyber Center Grand Opening At Global Headquarters In Lincoln, Nebraska

Sandhills Publishing will open the newest facility at its global headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska, next week. The Cyber Center will be the third LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-certified building on campus. It will accommodate 240 additional employees, and is among several major construction projects completed on the 68-acre campus in the last three years. The expansion is part of a larger trend of growth for Sandhills, as it turns focus to recruiting for hundreds of open full-time positions and internships in a range of areas.

Sustained Growth
The completion of the Cyber Center follows a period of significant growth for Sandhills, which primarily serves the construction, agriculture, transportation, aviation, and technology industries. The company added a state-of-the-art data center to its Lincoln campus in 2012, following with an overhaul of the technical infrastructure at its tandem data center in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2015, Sandhills completed construction on a second IT facility in Lincoln, adding 122 additional workspaces, and announced construction of the Cyber Center shortly thereafter. A simultaneous expansion of its Lincoln press facility included infrastructure upgrades that nearly doubled output capacity.

Meanwhile, a series of acquisitions led to the addition of over 20 new trade publications and websites, along with expanded regional editions of existing publications and nearly a dozen new office locations worldwide—five in the United States, two each in Italy and the United Kingdom, and one each in France and Australia—over the last two years. During that time, Sandhills also acquired a full-service auction management software called Auction Flex and an aircraft operating cost projection software called Aircraft Cost Calculator. Recent noteworthy brand extensions include CraneTrader, an extension of Machinery Trader and www.NeedTurfEquipment.com, an extension of TractorHouse. Other product evolutions have leveraged the company’s high-capacity technological infrastructure and massive store of real-time market data—namely asset valuation and market assessment tools FleetEvaluator and MarketTrends.

“It’s an exciting time at Sandhills,” said Chief Operations Officer Shawn Peed. “We’re actively broadening and evolving the scope, accessibility, and utility of our products and services in line with market demand across the industries we serve. As our operations continue to grow, we’re committed to reinvesting that success back into the company.”

Facility Design & Features
Lincoln-based Sinclair Hille Architects and Sampson Construction are behind the design and construction of the 42,000-square-foot facility. The rustic two-story structure features an open workspace, high ceilings, and communal spaces that include a reception area, café, classrooms, and other training facilities. Constructed largely of recycled and reclaimed materials, the Cyber Center operates with increased water and energy efficiency through the use of state-of-the-art light harvesting sensors, motion sensors that control plumbing and electricity, and a closed-loop geothermal well field for heating and cooling.

Expanding Workforce
Sandhills employs over 1,000 people worldwide with office locations in Nebraska, California, Arizona, Florida, South Dakota, Illinois, the U.K., France, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, and Australia. The company has already launched a companywide hiring push in anticipation of the Cyber Center’s opening. In the coming months, it looks to fill hundreds of open positions in sales, IT, software, web and database development, accounting, human resources, and more. The company will continue to work closely with area universities, veterans support organizations, and local chambers of commerce to recruit top talent.

“We are thrilled to see Sandhills Publishing advancing new products and expanding their footprint right here in Lincoln,” said Wendy Birdsall, president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. “Our city is successful because of companies like these who are growing and investing in their community.”

Sandhills’ growth impacts the city of Lincoln and beyond, extending especially to the Nebraska panhandle where the company established a satellite office in Sidney earlier this year. “Sandhills Publishing has been providing great job opportunities in Lincoln for many years and has consistently demonstrated its commitment to growth and reinvestment in our state’s economy,” said Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. “This expansion contributes hundreds of jobs to the Lincoln community and furthers Nebraska’s already-strong reputation as a great place to grow and do business.”

As it grows, Sandhills continues to focus on combining top talent with tools and resources that support innovation for the future.

“While our growth and success can be attributed to a number of factors, it is most reflective of the hard work and dedication of our people,” said Sandhills’ Shawn Peed. “As we continue to grow in markets all over the world, we’re proud to call Lincoln home.”

Follow Sandhills Publishing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for the latest updates. To view open full-time and internship opportunities and submit an application, visit www.sandhills.jobs.