What determines the location of an organization's national office?
 

I must have dozed off during new member education, because I cannot remember this answer.

I think it involves tea leaves and a bit of goat's blood?

(just kidding)

Yeah, i've sort of wondered about this...why are so few next to/in proximity alpha/first chapters?

Edit: to fix stupid grammar.

Indianapolis
 

There are a lot of headquarters/national offices in Indianapolis...many on Founders Road. I was once told that there is a tax break for non-profit organizations thus the appeal of the location, but I'm not 100% on that.

Yes, besides wanting to stay within a stone's throw of the institutions they were founded at, other reasons are tax inducements (the reason why Indianapolis is a center for Greek IHQs), sometimes proximity to other group's IHQs, and the "hook-up" (someone finds a place/building that fits the bill and for the right price).

Re: Indianapolis
 

I'm sure there is no really easy answer, but I've asked national officers of a number of fraternities who are headquartered in Indianapolis (Delt included), and that's the answer that keeps coming up.

SO it's a matter of cost?

You bet.

Ours is where the fraternity started (Charlottesville, VA).

Ours was originally established in NY (in 1921) (Alpha = Syracuse), but was moved to Chicago & Evanston in 1923 (Beta chapter = Northwestern) then Detroit (Theta = Michigan) based upon where our board members lived. We moved back to Evanston in 1946 and have been there ever since.

Re: What determines the location of an organization's national office?
 

It's going to be different for every GLO. It may be cost/tax consideration, historical significance, proximity to other GLOs, geographic centrality or some mixture of those or other reasons. In the early years of many GLOs, the "national HQ" was wherever the exective secretary (or like officer) lived.

Our HQ is in Evansville, Indiana. We ended up there because of connections with Evansville businessmen who were hoping that the Fraternity could help establish a musuem of American music or music hall of fame in Evansville. The museum/hall of fame idea fell apart, but we stayed in Evansville.

Lexington, VA -- where we were founded just down the hill at VMI.

Ours is nowhere near Alpha Chapter, or in Indianapolis. I've been told that the location of ours was chosen so that it was relatively central to our chapters for travel purposes. Thus, Centennial Colorado.

Oxford, Ohio the location of Beta's founding

Tax breaks were the main reason and I beleive LXA was the first not only In Indy, but first at Founders Road. It was dark and raining but I did See, I think, TKE, AGD, and SK. Someone correct Me if I am in error on those.

Our's is located where we were founded--DC.

Sigma Kappa is on Founders Road, although I don't remember ever being told why. I'm guessing it was the tax reasons. Our headquarters was founded in Reading, MA in 1924, which was likely a geographic proximity issue, moved to Lawrence, KS in 1930 and then to Indianapolis in 1936. We moved around the city a bit before finally settling on Founders Road in 1990.

According to my pledge manual, AEPi, ZTA, Theta Chi, AGD, TKE, AXiD, DU, Kappa Alpha Theta and Lambda Chi are all on Founders Road as well, at least as of 1997

AOII was founded in NYC and our headquarters is located outside Nashville, TN. We were in Indy (among other places) for about 9 years in the 60s and 70s but moved to Nashville in 1976. There are currently a couple fraternities also in the Nashville area (but which ones I can't recall off the top of my head).

Sarah

We were founded at DePauw, and our HQ is in Indianapolis. Our HQ, however, is not on Founders Road.

yes, zta is on founders road in indianapolis. i too heard the reason was tax purposes.

Our original headquarters was in Ames, Iowa - I imagine it was due to its centrality.

But we're now in Atlanta, fairly close to our defunct Alpha Chapter at Macon, Georgia - in a newly remodeled Memorial Headquarters in the Druid Hills area.

Our central office (what we originally called headquarters)... was also in Berkeley, California and Kansas City, Missouri before it moved to Atlanta, Georgia

The Chi Psi and Sigma Pi IHQs in the Nashville metro area.

I remember when Alpha Sigma Alpha's headquarters was in Springfield, Missouri. (practically across the street from the ASA house, which btw is a nice house).

How did ya'll wind up there?

Phi Sigma Sigma's HQ is now in Elkridge MD - in a brand new building BTW! (I was there for the grand opening!)

Our HQ/CO (and many other names it was called) used to travel with the Exec. Dir., then it was in Boca Raton, FL. Thats where it was when I was a new member.

We looked at several locations, but Elkridge offered us the best deals/space. (plus its like 2.5 from Baltimore/DC)

I actually wondered how our EO ended up in Arlington, TX when we were founded in Boston, MA.

I guess I should go look that up or email someone.

I think because it was centrally located near some of our largest chapters. We were in Buffalo at one time, if memory serves. We're in Indy now too though.

Alpha Phi Omega was founded in Easton, PA (about a hour north of Philly, near the New Jersey border).

During our first 5 years, our 'National HQ' was were ever our National President (who was also our Founder) was. We literally had 4-5 different 'sites'. :)

When the second person to be our National President was elected, the National HQ moved to where he was, in Kansas City, MO. Its been there ever since (but in 2-3 different locations in the city), tho when we built our own building to house it in 1990, we moved to the nearby community of Independence, MO. The location is pretty good, being about in the middle of the country, also there are several other non-profits headquartered in the area. (Camp Fire USA springs to mind).

Our National HQ is located where the Fraternity was founded, Oklahoma State University (formerly Oklahoma A & M College) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

I think Pi Kappa Alpha has a headquarters in Memphis, TN along with KD and Chi Omega. I think KD and Chi O are on Player's Club Pkwy in Memphis. I've seen them a couple of times from the road, they are VERY nice. Sigma Pi is in Brentwood, TN near AOII.

The Alpha Sig Headquarters is also in Indianapolis, right next door to Sigma Delta Tau headquarters.

Yup, we're currently located on Player's Club in Memphis. Chi Omega was founded at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and has had about eight headquarters’ locations. When I pledged, the HQ was in Cincinnati. I'm not sure why they moved from Cincinnati; I vaguely remember hearing that they couldn't locate a large enough parcel of land in the area.

Sounds cool. Did amycat ever visit xo headquarters?

And what does the Player's Club refer to because that sounds like the coolest street ever :) I want to live there.

-Rudey

Yeah, apparently Player's Club is a golf course, and KD, Pike, and XO HQ's are all kinda neighbors. I think Pike and XO are like next door neighbors, and KD is on the next street over or something. Our HQ is on Players Lane. I've never been there, but I heard it's nice.

-Shae
--Bling Bling!

Our international headquarters are in Kansas City, MO...not far from our founding location of Abilene, KS.

It is very interesting to see how many Greek HQs. are located in certain Areas and by Groupings.

Many Have moved and some stayed to the true roots.

Indy was indeed a tax haven and that is why so many have moved there and are grouped along Founders Row. More so than any place else I beleive.

It is interesting to see where everyones is with out going to each National Web Site.

Thank you!:cool:

And so is KKPsi's sister organization - Tau Beta Sigma :)

Ok so here's the deal.

Kappa Delta is on Players Lane. Chi Omega is on Players Club, and Pike is on West Range Cove.

Pike and Chi O are neighbors. Kappa Delta is up the street from Players Club, then a quick right at Players Lane.

Pike and Chi O are on different streets because Pike's HQ is faced on West Range Cove (we got it specially named "west range cove" because that was the name of place where we were founded). Chi O literally faces Pike, however, their sign goes in the direction of Players Club (i think intentially done that way, because why would they want to their address to be West Range Cove when it means nothing to them).

So Pike and Chi O are literally right next to eachother, sorta facing eachother. I've been to all three HQs. All very nice.


eta: The reason why Pike is in Memphis is because it is to pay tribute to their Theta chapter which is in Memphis. Their Theta chapter was arguably the backbone of the fraternity while times were rough. KD and Chi O followed Pike because Pike is pimp like that ;)