OverDrive Inc. breaks ground for new headquarters in Garfield Heights

Leading e-book distributor OverDrive Inc., which currently is based in Valley View, has broken ground for a new headquarters in Garfield Heights.

OverDrive said it has begun construction of a 95,000-square-foot building on a 12-acre campus to accommodate more than 300 employees. The company said its need for a new headquarters, which it is calling its Blue Sky Campus, is “a result of domestic and international growth in the eBook industry.”

“OverDrive’s new tech campus will help accelerate the adoption of e-books, audiobooks, music and video currently served through our 18,000 school, library and retail channel partners,” said Lori Soukup, OverDrive’s chief operating officer, who is leading the campus development project. “We are proud to enable the world’s leading authors, publishers and studios to reach hundreds of millions of readers in 27 countries.”

OverDrive said its headquarters announcement “comes at a time when the 25-year-old digital distribution enterprise is experiencing many milestones.” The company said it has facilitated more than 80 million digital library book checkouts and offers more than 700,000 titles in its in-copyright digital catalog, which includes titles in more than 50 languages.

OverDrive said its new “green” Blue Sky Campus will include more than five acres of open space dedicated to outdoor use, including extended outdoor meeting space, a small pond and a walking path. The LEED-certified headquarters will include two indoor basketball courts, a fitness and wellness area, and digital test labs and training centers for the school and library training sessions the company hosts year-round.

OverDrive said Premier Development Partners serves as lead construction manager, Davis Smith Certo Architects Inc. is providing exterior architectural design services, and Vocon, Inc. is providing interior design services.