Asurion to create 400 new jobs, move to Tennessean site downtown

Correction: Asurion's new headquarters is planned for 11th Avenue North and Church Street. The location was misstated in an earlier version of this story.

Asurion, a Nashville-based tech solutions company, will create 400 information technology jobs as it consolidates its headquarters downtown at the current site of The Tennessean.

Asurion employs 3,100 Tennesseans at four existing buildings in Middle Tennessee and will move local employees to a new development planned for 11th Avenue North and Church Street.

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“Asurion’s significant expansion in Nashville is yet another sign that Tennessee will lead the nation in job growth and lift up the quality of life for our citizens," Gov. Bill Haslam said.

Raleigh, N.C.-based Highwoods Properties, the buyer of The Tennessean's 10-acre downtown property, has already closed on The Tennessean's property. Real estate investor Jim Caden is also a buyer and he has not yet closed.

The site also includes several parking lots in the Gulch area and the transaction totals more than $55 million.

Asurion provides tech support and insurance for smartphones, tablets, consumer electronics and other devices. It operates in dozens of countries and has 17,000 employees.

“For almost two decades Asurion has been part of Nashville’s vibrant growth and is excited to continue building the city’s tech hub brand,” said Asurion Chief Executive Officer Tony Detter. “Our consolidation into a facility that will serve as the global product and technology hub for Asurion’s innovation and development in the heart of Nashville further cements our commitment to tech job growth and the city.”

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Highwoods says it plans to spend $252 million redeveloping the property into a 479,000-square-foot office project that includes two structures: an eight-story building and a seven-story building.

Retail space will be on street level, and the buildings will sit on top of a six-level parking garage, half of which will be below grade.

The Tennessean has up to 15 months to move after closing, though Highwoods announced that construction on the project, subject to the execution of a lease with Asurion, is set to begin in the first quarter of next year. The developer has set a targeted completion date of the third quarter of 2021.

Prior to the closure, Gannett Co. Inc. owned 80 percent of the property, and Liquidity Partners and Brownlee Currey each owned 10 percent.

Gannett is negotiating letters of intent for new office space. The news organization will select the site with the most favorable terms.

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.