Community Impact Center Makes an Impact (2024)

Planning and providing critical services to central Ohio has never been more efficient.

Coming up on the anniversary of the creation of the Community Impact Center in downtown Columbus, nearly a dozen organizations are now located or are in the process of locating in one place and able to work together better than ever.

Late last year, United Way of Central Ohio announced it was partnering with Nationwide to repurpose office space that the Fortune 100 insurance and financial services provider no longer needed in the wake of the company’s successful transition to a hybrid work environment.

Nationwide CEO Kirt Walker recently met with United Way of Central Ohio President Lisa Courtice and the other non-profit leaders now occupying the 9-story, 150,000 square foot Community Impact Center at 215 North Front Street.

“Our hybrid model is working and opens up the need for less office space,” said Nationwide CEO Kirt Walker. “While continuing to complete upgrades to our main campus in downtown Columbus, we were looking for a viable use for other valuable real estate. And we want to meet the unique needs of the community while contributing to the vitality of downtown. The Community Impact Center concept was the perfect fit.”

A number of non-profits have moved in alongside United Way and are now able to leverage the valuable amenities that facilitate greater collaboration.

“In talking with several of the leaders at the center, it’s apparent that what I like to call ‘productive collisions’ are already taking place,” Walker added.

Along with United Way, partner tenants include the YMCA Stable Families Administrative Offices; Per Scholas; I Know I Can; Future Ready; Communities and Schools; and Corporation for Supportive Housing, among others.

“We like to say that there is nothing we can’t achieve together when we stand united. By giving nonprofits the opportunity to collaborate in the same space, sharing ideas and creating economies of scale, we can achieve more to help the people of central Ohio,” said President and CEO Lisa Courtice, president and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio. “We are grateful for Nationwide’s generosity, and it’s my hope that more companies will follow their lead by transforming underutilized office space into places for nonprofits to thrive.”

Each of the organizations benefit from the desire to be downtown in one location and the ability to collaborate to meet community needs including a common conference and collaboration space and access to staff and visitor parking.

"We're thrilled with how things are working out at the Community Impact Center," said Nationwide Foundation President Chad Jester. "Our goal has been to repurpose this space in a way that positively impacts the community. We need strong services in central Ohio and creating the Community Impact Center has resulted in a win for everyone."

In other efforts to repurpose office space, Nationwide is in the process of selling one of its buildings in Iowa to the City of Des Moines for use as a new center for centralized city services.

For more information about the Nationwide Foundation, visit https://www.nationwide.com/personal/about-us/giving/nationwide-foundation/.