Southern Utah University will begin a near $13 million construction project on July 1. Known as Business Building West, the school will be erecting an additional business building directly next to the existing one, where the Leadership Engagement Center is sited. Construction will be complete in the spring 2026 semester.
The School of Business is currently housed in the Dixie L. Leavitt Business Building, which opened in the fall of 2018. According to a 2023 proposal plan for the business building expansion project, there has been a 66.3% increase in business majors at SUU since the building’s opening as well as a growth of 521% for the Master of Business Administration program’s admissions.
This new building will house the growing needs of SUU’s business program, including designated spaces for a professional sales center, a career center and a graduate center.
Aside from those new additions, many MBA offices that are currently found in the Bennion Building will be able to relocate to the new business building. This will open up extra space in the Bennion Building for Counseling and Psychological Services and the Student Health Clinic.
“[The new business building] gives students that are part of the school of business a huge opportunity, but also it creates space that will help just about every student across campus,” said Ben Johnson the associate vice president of facilities. “It seems like the business building is the real story here, but the business building impacts all of these other moving pieces.”
Another program that will be impacted by the addition is the SUU Outdoors Basecamp Garage, which is located in the LEC. At the Basecamp Garage, students can rent out outdoor recreation equipment at relatively cheap rates.
After a period of hazardous material abatement in June 2024, where qualified individuals will inspect and dispose of materials like asbestos and lead paint in the building, the LEC will be completely demolished. The Outdoors Basecamp Garage will be rehomed outside of campus on Main Street in a building that SUU acquired from the state.
“We were able to purchase [the Main Street building] from the state for a dollar,” Johnson mentioned. “Because the state owns it, they gave it to SUU.”
With a new location on Main Street, the Basecamp Garage could receive business outside of SUU students, further amplifying the school’s presence in the community.
The new business building will connect to the current building through a sky bridge on the second floor. Though the two buildings will be close in location and purpose, the facilities management team has made intentional design choices to ensure that they will feel like separate buildings.
“We want this to complement the existing business building but not mimic,” said Johnson.
The facilities team placed the educational functionality of the building outside of the classroom as a top priority in the construction plans. There will be study spaces in the hallways, lobbies and even on the sky bridge.
Through student internships and faculty feedback, the facilities team will be able to create this new business building with student experience in mind.
Set to open on Feb. 15, 2026, Business Building West will reflect SUU’s growth as a learning institution. For more information on the construction project, contact the Facilities Administration Office.
Author: Heather Turner
Image courtesy of Ben Johnson
Editor: Lily Brunson
outdoors@suunews.net
