Location Investing - SkyWater Search Partners · Location Investing ... clients and future...
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PREMIER OFFICE MAGAZINE 26 According to a recent story on CNN, “Are Cool Offices the Key to Success?” this capital commitment is essential. Peter Surrena, design director at trend forecasting agency PSFK, says, “Good office design is an investment in perception for publicly- facing companies.” That’s why, when McKinley Group, Minnesota’s largest executive search firm first started, they moved to the Carlson Towers, a beautiful 250-acre natural setting, which serves as the global headquarters for the Carlson Company’s family of marketing, travel and hospitality companies and services, plus numerous other professional services firms. Carlson Towers is a coveted destination that many prestigious companies call home because of its award-winning amenities and impeccable reputation. Simply put, it is one of Minnesota’s premier business parks, with a celebrated mixed-use design. Easily accessible no matter where you are in the Twin Cities, it sits on a beautifully landscaped setting of lakes and wetlands that comple- ments its flexible business space. The property also features retail shops, restaurants, a health care facility and a hotel. Carlson Center is a visual anchor to the Interstate 394 office submarket and strategically located at the confluence of two major Interstates. For “location investors” Carlson Center is a hot spot. The desire to cut costs caused our company, after nine years of tenancy, to move from this classic Twin Cities property to a location with far fewer amenities, and, quite frankly, less prestige. Little did we know then how many of our employees and clientele would miss the strategic benefits this premier address had to offer. Location Investing Why we went back to the future P eople make career changes for a variety of reasons. Money may be a reason, but it isn’t the only one. There can be many motivating and mitigating factors involved in such a scenario. We know firsthand because our former executive recruiting firm recently experienced such a change due to philosophical differences between its partners. That difference resulted in the need to search for office space for our newly formed company, SkyWater Search Partners, Inc. The big question: Where do we locate our new firm? Choosing the right or perfect location and office space can be a highly subjective decision. Research has shown that key factors on both the employee and client sides should drive where your next office will be. Office choice has far-reaching repercussions for the way you and your fellow employees conduct business and for the people with whom you do business. Investing in an office location is an investment not just in your business but in your employees, clients and future prospects. Employees want to thrive in a positive work environment. They look to their leadership team to promote policies through a well- established culture where things like a healthy work/life balance are imperative, or by creating a physical office environment that inspires productivity as well as promoting collegiality. Employees also want to feel involved and connected with their peers and leadership — they want a sense of purpose beyond work through activities such as fundraising for a nonprofit or engagement in fun events like a walkathon. These types of events provide them with the opportunity to give back to and connect with their community. All these things likely stem from where your office is located, how it’s designed and how people relate to it. Investing in an office location is an investment not just in your business but in your employees, clients and future prospects. STRATEGY
Transcript of Location Investing - SkyWater Search Partners · Location Investing ... clients and future...
PREMIER OFFICE MAGAZINE26
According to a recent story on CNN, “Are Cool Offices the Keyto Success?” this capital commitment is essential. PeterSurrena, design director at trend forecasting agency PSFK, says,“Good office design is an investment in perception for publicly-facing companies.” That’s why, when McKinley Group,Minnesota’s largest executive search firm first started, theymoved to the Carlson Towers, a beautiful 250-acre naturalsetting, which serves as the global headquarters for the CarlsonCompany’s family of marketing, travel and hospitalitycompanies and services, plus numerous other professionalservices firms.
Carlson Towers is a coveted destination that many prestigiouscompanies call home because of its award-winning amenities andimpeccable reputation. Simply put, it is one of Minnesota’spremier business parks, with a celebrated mixed-use design. Easilyaccessible no matter where you are in the Twin Cities, it sits on abeautifully landscaped setting of lakes and wetlands that comple-ments its flexible business space. The property also features retailshops, restaurants, a health care facility and a hotel. CarlsonCenter is a visual anchor to the Interstate 394 office submarketand strategically located at the confluence of two major Interstates.For “location investors” Carlson Center is a hot spot.
The desire to cut costs caused our company, after nine years oftenancy, to move from this classic Twin Cities property to alocation with far fewer amenities, and, quite frankly, lessprestige. Little did we know then how many of our employeesand clientele would miss the strategic benefits this premieraddress had to offer.
LocationInvestingWhy we went back to the future
People make career changes for a variety of reasons.Money may be a reason, but it isn’t the only one. Therecan be many motivating and mitigating factors involved
in such a scenario. We know firsthand because our formerexecutive recruiting firm recently experienced such a changedue to philosophical differences between its partners. Thatdifference resulted in the need to search for office space for ournewly formed company, SkyWater Search Partners, Inc.
The big question: Where do we locate our new firm?
Choosing the right or perfect location and office space can be ahighly subjective decision. Research has shown that key factorson both the employee and client sides should drive where yournext office will be. Office choice has far-reaching repercussionsfor the way you and your fellow employees conduct businessand for the people with whom you do business.
Investing in an office location is
an investment not just in your
business but in your employees,
clients and future prospects.
Employees want to thrive in a positive work environment. Theylook to their leadership team to promote policies through a well-established culture where things like a healthy work/life balanceare imperative, or by creating a physical office environment thatinspires productivity as well as promoting collegiality. Employeesalso want to feel involved and connected with their peers andleadership — they want a sense of purpose beyond work throughactivities such as fundraising for a nonprofit or engagement infun events like a walkathon. These types of events provide themwith the opportunity to give back to and connect with theircommunity. All these things likely stem from where your officeis located, how it’s designed and how people relate to it. Investingin an office location is an investment not just in your business butin your employees, clients and future prospects.
STRATEGY
office into a multi-functional meeting place for employees andclients. Numerous recent reports on office design proclaim themerits of, and trends toward, open environments where clientscan feel relaxed — it tells them that you consider their needsand are happy to do business with them.
In designing this new multi-functional space, we wanted to gobeyond just throwing in a desk and a chair and calling it aworkspace. We want the design of our entire office to be bothprofessional and functional. A disorderly space with elementsthat do not match tells clients (and employees) that you aredisorganized. We do not want to convey that impression —especially not at our new address.
My partners and I are excited about being back in one of theTwin Cities iconic business locations. We are also enjoyingbuilding out our space to uniquely meet the needs of both ouremployees and our clients. I am confident that our companywill grow and succeed — investing in the right location iscritical to that success.
That’s why our newly reorganized and freshly renamed firm,SkyWater Search Partners, is returning to KBS-owned 601 N.Carlson, one of two landmark towers in this exclusive master-planned business park. We will enjoy a strategic location on themain floor just off the well-traveled rotunda space — in a movebest described as going back to the future. It is the right thingto for our employees, and we know it’s the best thing to do forour current and prospective new clients.
Returning to Carlson Center
was one part of the solution. We
also needed to strategically
design our new space to appeal
to both employees and clientele.
Returning to Carlson Center was one part of the solution. Wealso needed to strategically design our new space to appeal toboth employees and clientele.
Currently, there is a shift towards casual meeting places foremployees and others in which a gathering space serves manyfunctions. It could be used for breakfast and lunch; internal andexternal presentations on multiple flat screen TVs that will alsodouble as an ideal setting to watch sports and other events forboth clients and employees; and, finally, it can function as quietwork space. Similarly, we are planning to maximize our newspace at Carlson Towers by converting a large upscale executive
KURT RAKOS, CPCKurt Rakos is one of the founders of SkyWaterSearch Partners. along with Paul Beard andTony Fornetti. The firm specializes incontingent and retained search services forplacement in IT, accounting and finance,sales, marketing, engineering, HR andconsumer packaged goods.
Contact: [email protected]: 952.767.9000
Back to the future. After leaving the Carlson Towers in Minneapolis, newly formed SkyWater Search Partners came back because of its
strategic benefits.
PREMIER OFFICE MAGAZINE 27
