The National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) have agreed on a new lease that allows the Pork Board to remain in its Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters building until 2037.
The building, at 1776 N.W. 114th St., is owned by NPPC and was the organization’s headquarters until 2001, when a court-approved settlement ended NPPC’s role as general contractor for the Pork Checkoff program. The National Pork Board has occupied the building since 2001. The building was constructed in 1979, largely with contributions from thousands of pork producers from around the country.
"There is a strong emotional attachment between producers and this building," said Lynn Harrison, a pork producer from Elk Mound, Wis., and president of the National Pork Board. "The way it was built – with individual contributions – represents the way we continue to work today. We bring producers and their resources together to accomplish things they couldn’t achieve on their own. The building is a powerful symbol of that philosophy."
As the National Pork Board’s lease was coming due last year, staff and board members had begun to explore other possibilities for its headquarters. "It was clear almost immediately, that pork producers want to keep the building in the family," Harrison said. "This new lease, with the rent to be determined by third-party appraisals, assures that will happen."