CSA Group’s new head office and labs will relocate to a site along Brecksville Road at Valor Acres in suburban Brecksville. In the background in this rendering is Sherwin-Williams’ new Morikis Global Technology Center (Independence). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Project to expand local employment
CSA Group, a global provider of testing, inspection and certification services, announced today that it will relocate and expand its U.S. Head Office to Valor Acres – a mixed-use, lifestyle center in suburban Brecksville.
The new CSA Group facility will span over 290,000 square feet and include both testing laboratories and offices for hundreds of employees, designed to address the evolving needs of its global manufacturing customers and collaborative workplace culture.
The proposed relocation project involves not only a significant expansion of CSA’s U.S. head office operations but also the growth of its research and testing footprint in Brecksville and at its recently expanded facilities nearby in Independence.
CSA Group currently operates two locations in Independence – the 40,000-square-foot Distributed Energy Resource building commissioned in 2022, which will remain in place to serve customers, and a mixed-use office-lab building dating back to 1969.
The new state-of-the-art facility planned for Valor Acres will replace this older facility, expanding capability with more advanced testing equipment, while providing a modern workplace for employees, company officials said.
The planned new head office and labs for CSA Group are visible at right, along Brecksville Road. Sherwin-Williams is at the top of the image with the mixed-use core and Miller Road to the left (DiGeronimo).
Enabling work, such as site preparation, on the project is expected to begin this month with substantial completion anticipated in early 2028. CSA is a leader in product safety and environmental certification for Canada and the U.S.
“This project represents an exciting next chapter for CSA Group in Northeast Ohio,” says Rich Weiser, executive vice president of global operations at CSA Group, in a written statement.
Valor Acres is the former Veterans Administration Hospital which relocated in 2011 to University Circle in Cleveland. The nearly 200-acre site between Interstate 77 at Brecksville Road at Miller Road is being developed by DiGeronimo Development.
Valor Acres is a lifestyle center offering a walkable district blending offices, AC Marriott Hotel, residential, retail, dining and public green space. The project emphasizes thoughtful placemaking and community connection, transforming the site into a regional destination that supports business growth and quality of life.
“Building our new facility within the Valor Acres development will support our team and allow us to expand our capabilities and capacity as we continue to grow in the region,” Weiser added.
Looking northeast at CSA Group’s new offices and lab complex with Brecksville Road just beyond (DiGeronimo).
Valor Acres is probably best known as the new home of Sherwin-Williams’ research center. The 600,000-square-foot facility, with more than 900 employees, is called the Morikis Global Technology Center.
“CSA Group is an exceptional addition to Valor Acres and a powerful affirmation of our long-term vision for this development,” said Vic DiGeronimo, CEO of DiGeronimo Companies.
“We are proud to welcome their team and look forward to partnering to deliver a campus that supports their mission while contributing to a destination where innovation, community, and opportunity intersect,” he added.
CSA Group operates globally providing testing, inspection, and certification services across a broad range of industries, including household appliances, consumer and commercial products, energy storage systems/batteries, and industrial and hazardous location equipment.
“We’re proud to invest in a facility and community that reflects our commitment to innovation, safety and sustainability that will serve our employees, customers and the community for years to come,” Weiser said.
Original rendering of the planned AC Marriott Hotel at Valor Acres. While it will retain the 136 rooms, its rooftop bar was eliminated in January from city-approved plans to reduce the building’s height by one floor (Meyers+Associates).
Nearly all of CSA’s 425 U.S. employees are based at its Independence facilities. While it isn’t clear yet as to how many of them will relocate to Brecksville, based on size of the new Brecksville facility versus that of the facility which will remain in Independence, most of those workers will move.
There will be new employment, too. News of this project was first hinted at in January when the Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a 1.619 percent, eight-year Job Creation Tax Credit for the project, state officials reported at that time.
As a result, CSA expects to create 97 full-time-equivalent positions, generating more than $9.2 million in new annual payroll as a result of the company’s project in Brecksville. Some new jobs are likely to be created in Independence, but not enough to offset the loss of CSA’s offices and lab.
Valor Acres also received a $10 million Transformational Mixed Use Development tax credit from the state in 2024. Construction of the CSA Group campus will be delivered by Independence Construction as construction manager, with Independence Excavating performing sitework and enabling operations.
Both firms are part of the DiGeronimo Companies which has been in business since 1956 when its first company, Independence Excavating, was founded by Sam and Don DiGeronimo. It has since grown into a diverse group of companies specializing in construction, development and environmental services.
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