Above: The first of many such scoops. Photo: Downtown Eau Claire, Inc.

Image: Matthew M. Long, Ayres Associates

Ground was broken in a big way for the new JAMF Software building at 215 Riverfront Terrace, just across the street from Phoenix Park. Instead of the traditional gold shovel, the Aug. 14 ceremony featured a backhoe, and JAMF has equally sizable plans for the site. The four-story, 72,000-square-foot building will accommodate up to 300 employees and will feature environmentally friendly design elements such as LED light fixtures, locally sourced materials, and waterless urinals. (Yes, you read that right: waterless urinals.) The building will also accommodate employees who want to bike to work or exercise during the workday, and will include locker rooms, indoor bike storage, and an outdoor tire filling station which will also be open to park goers who want to fill up their inner tubes for a float down the river. JAMF, which creates software for Apple computers and devices, has grown from four to 110 employees in Eau Claire in the past five years. The building, which is slated for completion in 2014, is being built on what was formerly a temporary parking lot for the RCU corporate office.