Aquila Energy, UtiliCorp United’s main energy marketing arm,announced Wednesday it is moving from Omaha, NE, to Kansas City,MO.. The company will bring 405 employees to occupy 70,000 squarefeet on three floors of the Town Pavilion in downtown K.C.

In 1998, Aquila ranked second in NGI’s Gas Marketer rankings andthird in NGI’s Power Marketer rankings based on physical volumesales. The company’s sales increased 60% from $6 billion in 1997 to$9.7 billion in 1998.

“We wanted to consolidate the gas and electric operations of thecompany under one roof,” said UtiliCorp spokesman Jerry Cosley.”Our electric people were in a cramped office in Raytown, MO. Ourgas people were in a nice enough facility, but that workforce isgrowing. We decided to move them, and what better location thannext to the parent company’s headquarters.”

Cosley said the local and state governments will split the $15million cost of bringing the Town Pavilion up to Aquila’sstandards. Aquila will then pay the governments back over time.

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