Business - September 20, 2018

Get to know KPMG’s training center in Lake Nona

The titanic KPMG Learning, Development & Innovation Center at Lake Nona — spreading out over 55 acres — already towers above the tree line despite being still under construction in the fast-growing southeast Orlando community. The $450 million project is so massive that could fill 76 Olympic-sized swimming pools only with the dirt moved.

Most of the building’s skeleton is ready, and future spaces are taking shape. Rows of classrooms with 14-foot-tall ceilings are visible in addition to most of the 800 single-occupancy guest rooms and other learning and innovation spaces. Orlando Sentinel published that unfinished halls reveal multiple, two-story communal lounges, which aim to foster collaboration among the trainees. Most areas around the facility encourage socializing.

Outside of training and socializing, the building plan also features eating spaces, like a pizza/pasta station and a wine bar. The facility is expected to house a 15,000-square-foot fitness center in addition to many outdoor spaces.

Demand for construction workers is ramping up at the training center despite a shortage of available workers in the area. The project is to double its workforce ahead of its completion deadline in late 2019. That could prove challenging, as contractors in the area are scrambling to find workers.

The structure will bring about 800 KPMG staffers on-site per week for training. It is already nearing completion on the exterior construction. KPMG marked the occasion with a ceremony honoring the construction crew and designers.

The KPMG Honor Ceremony

All guests, including the construction crew, local officials and business leaders, and KPMG representatives, signed the 50-foot stainless steel beam, which set on top of the structure during the ceremony. An American flag and a Southern Magnolia tree also took part in the celebration, along with a KPMG Legacy flag. KPMG’s Family for Literacy is set to donate a book for every signature on the beam to a nearby Orange County school in need, and the tree is to be planted on site to commemorate the milestone once construction is complete, said Accounting Today.

Now, workers are sprinting toward the late 2019 completion deadline. The training center is to open in January 2020.

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club