As the trend of moving corporate headquarters away from the five boroughs continues, JPMorgan Chase is continuing to emphasize its commitment to the heart of Manhattan.
In fact, the financial giant, led by CEO Jamie Dimon, marked a pivotal moment last week as the final steel beam was raised in the construction of its new global headquarters at 270 Park Avenue.
Five years ago, JPMorgan Chase unveiled ambitious plans to erect a modern 60-story skyscraper at the site of the former Union Carbide Building. The completion date is set for 2025, with a capacity to accommodate approximately 14,000 employees, making it the city's largest tower exclusively heated and cooled by electricity.
Dimon, a native New Yorker, emphasized his personal connection to the city during an interview with Pat Kiernan following the event. Dimon, who grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, expressed his love for the city and its unparalleled amalgamation of talent across financial services, media, and technology.
“I grew up here, you know, I love the city,” he said. “If you look at New York City, the brainpower, the talent across financial services, media, technology is extraordinary. The life is extraordinary.”
Dimon highlighted his hands-on involvement in the construction, underlining that the new headquarters is more than just an office space.
“There are eight trading floors, full city blocks, that buy and sell close to $2 trillion a day. It's gonna have, at the top of the house, it's a beautiful place to eat and have a drink, where you have a 360 view of the city. It’s the highest occupied floor in the city. So it's gonna be spectacular,” said Dimon.
While the trend of remote work gains traction, Dimon remains a proponent of in-person collaboration, especially for fostering innovation among younger employees.
He also noted that while the nature of the business has changed over the years, bank branches still serve a necessary purpose and Chase will continue to adapt.
“A lot of the people in this building, what they're doing is to help in countries around the world, institutions around the world and investors around the world. And it's kind of an export of ours,” he said. “And so people here understand why it's so important to maintain a financial headquarters, just like Boeing exports about $40 billion of jets out of where they manufacture them.”
He again emphasized his commitment to the five boroughs, saying, “And New York is the place you want to do it.”