Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity has announced it will relocate its national headquarters from Chester Springs, Pa. to Carmel, effective August 2017. The Phi Kappa Sigma Board of Directors selected Carmel after a comprehensive two-year review of multiple markets nationwide – including Richmond, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville and Dallas.
The Philadelphia area has been the 40,000-member fraternity’s home since its founding in 1850 and they have been in Chester Springs since 1994. Phi Kappa Sigma said its top priority in the move was to ensure that its chapters, 1,500-plus undergraduates and 30,000-plus alumni are supported as best as possible. In a letter to its members, the fraternity said Carmel provides a more functional facility that will help the fraternity continue to grow and develop its chapters, in a more metropolitan market, that will enable it to attract, retain and develop the most talented staff possible.
“Today’s news in welcoming another national fraternity headquarters to Carmel is a testament to our city, where we place a great deal of emphasis on higher education,” said Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. “Not only do our local schools excel tremendously in preparing future members of fraternal organizations like Phi Kappa Sigma, we have also attracted a very well educated and professional local workforce, in which nearly 90 percent of our adults have achieved a Bachelor’s or graduate degree. We welcome Phi Kappa Sigma and we look forward to growing with them in the future.”
The fraternity will relocate to 716 Adams Street, which is very close to the headquarters of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) in Carmel, as well as the headquarters of more than 30 NIC-affiliated fraternal groups and 10 sorority headquarters in central Indiana. These headquarters (which include six in Carmel) will provide Phi Kappa Sigma with significant staff development opportunities, allowing it to dramatically improve the support of existing chapters and the success of starting new chapters.
“Our decision to relocate Phi Kappa Sigma to Carmel moves our historic international organization closer to peer fraternal organizations and trade associations within the greater Indianapolis metropolitan area. We look forward to forging new connections in our new home, as well as our future endeavors with local and state businesses,” said Executive Director Tim Schug.
Other headquarters in Carmel include: Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity (354 Gradle Drive); Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity (710 Adams St.); Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity (11711 N. Pennsylvania St., Suite 250); Theta Chi Fraternity (PO Box 503); Sigma Delta Tau Sorority (714 Adams St.); and Sigma Kappa Sorority (695 Pro Med Lane, Suite 300).
“This relocation provides a number of benefits to Phi Kappa Sigma,” said Michael Palladino, president of the Board of Directors. “In addition to being the heart of the fraternal world, Carmel is a centralized, metropolitan location with a very high quality of life at an affordable cost of living, allowing us to attract, develop and retain the most talented staff possible to serve our chapters and alumni. Our new facility will allow us to serve our members with a more functional space that can better accommodate meetings, training programs and increased staff interaction to drive the support and innovation that is critical to our organization’s future.”
The new Phi Kappa Sigma headquarters will include a staff of eight to ten full-time employees. Phi Kappa Sigma was founded Aug. 16, 1850, at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The Fraternity currently has 45 chapters and colonies.