Drive-thru chain Dutch Bros said Monday that it will donate its former corporate headquarters in downtown Grants Pass to the Oregon Center for Creative Learning, which operates a preschool and children's museum.
Dutch Bros will retain a corporate office in Grants Pass, about six miles north of downtown on North Valley Drive. The company moved its formal headquarters from downtown Grants Pass to the North Valley Drive office earlier this summer, months after it moved many of its corporate functions out of state.
The Oregonian reports the company valued Monday's donation at $2.7 million.
"Donating our building to Oregon Center for Creative Learning guarantees more kids and families in Josephine County have a compelling future through early childhood education and family activities," said Travis Boersma, Dutch Bros' chairman and co-founder.
Dutch Bros is one of Oregon’s largest companies, operating more than 900 drive-thrus in 18 states. Earlier this year, the company moved many corporate jobs from Southern Oregon to new offices near Phoenix, Arizona. CEO Christine Barone works in Arizona, though Boersma still lives in Oregon.
Dutch Bros said the move to Arizona gave it easier access to a large airport and brought it closer to its fastest-growing markets, in Texas and other southern and southeastern states. Dutch Bros doesn't disclose how many people work in Grants Pass, or how many in Arizona.
Oregon Center for Creative Learning operates the Children's Museum of Southern Oregon and a chain of eight preschools under the Ivy School name.
