CNO Financial Group is moving on down the road.
In early 2024, CNO will relocate its longtime Carmel headquarters at 11825 N. Pennsylvania St. to approximately 1 mile away to lease 100,000 square feet on two floors of the OPENLANE building, 11299 N. Illinois St. OPENLANE was previously known as KAR Auction Services.
CNO started as Security National of Indiana Corp. in 1979 and changed its name to Conseco four years later. The name was changed to CNO Financial Group in 2010.
Matthew Woodruff, a Carmel resident who is CNO vice president of facilities, said there are approximately 3,500 associates in the company, including approximately 1,000 in Indiana.
“We would anticipate that 1,000 people in Indiana would be utilizing this new office,” Woodruff said. “Any of the associates in the company would be able to use it when in town.”
The CNO campus, which has been the company’s home for nearly 35 years, occupies six buildings, totaling 627,000 square feet on 75 acres. CNO occupies 420,000 square feet and the rest is leased. Woodruff said there is a possibility of leasing or selling space.
“We recognize that 75 acres is a pretty unique and valuable asset right in the heart of Carmel,” Woodruff said. “There are a number of opportunities that could arise and right now we’re exploring all of those options.”
The move will be to approximately 125,000 square feet.
“For the last several years, we’ve been committed to a hybrid and flexible way of working,” Woodruff said. “What that means for CNO is an associate and their manager can basically decide what works best for them, their team and the business on how often they are coming into work. We haven’t established a mandate about the number of days.”
Woodruff said while the company supports hybrid working, it believes there is a need to have some office space as a tool to reinforce the culture.
“Our in-person activities in our office are purpose-driven,” Woodruff said. “We are focusing on the four Cs: connection, collaboration, concentration and celebration.”
Woodruff said the company was looking at a more open way of working, but the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in March 2020, accelerated it significantly.
CNO’s new location has a cafeteria, fitness facility and medical clinic. There are a lot of meeting rooms and large gathering spaces.
