8/12/2019 The Creators of Cool - Phoenix Business Journal - Cover Story - Zion & Zion

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4 PHOENIXBUSINESS JOURNAL

STORIES BY TIM GALLEN

tgallen@bizjournals.com

6023086508, @PhxBizTimGallen

Determining whats cool

is pretty subjective. But

when you walk into the

new empe offices of publicrelations and advertising agency

Zion & Zion, its the first wordthat comes to mind.

he company shelled out

$4.3 million to achieve its ver-

sion of cool: a 14,000-square-

foot space on Farmer Street

whose open, modern design

includes wood floors andunique, welcoming furnishings.

Te new office, which openedfour months ago, also includes

a kegerator for those after-work

socializing needs.Co-owner Aric Zion makes

it clear his firms new digs are

about keeping employees hap-

py, motivated and not lookingto switch over to another of the

Valleys firms.

If somebody said, What was

the No. 1 goal of this space? the

answer was to have a space that

would be so inspiring to ... the

entire team that, basically, the

idea of leaving becomes incon-

ceivable because who wants to

go squeeze into a cube like an

eel? he said. It was more about

retention and attraction when it

comes to people.

Te company isnt alone intrying to develop a unique office

space that fits its individual cul-

ture. For businesses, bringing

in a designer and starting from

scratch may save money, accord-

ing to designers, architects and

those making the move.

A survey by the American

Society of Interior Designers

found a pleasant workplace isdirectly related to an employees

job satisfaction. People who like

their workplace were 31 percent

more likely to be satisfied with

their jobs, according to ASIDs2012 survey.

Nearly half of the job seekers

surveyed also said a companysphysical space affected theirdecision to accept a job offer.

Zion & Zions new space is

achieving results, Zion said.

Te firm has received a num-

ber of queries from prospective

employees and recently filled a

position.

While technology and mar-

keting companies often boastfeatures such as recreation and

game lounges or in-office gyms,

what makes a good fit ultimate-

ly depends on company culture,

From yoga

classes to beer

taps, Phoenixbusinesses are

finding different

ways to retain

employees by

making work a

lot more fun

ZION & ZIONLocation:432 S. FarmerAve., Tempe

Size:14,000 square feet

Employees:About 35

Time in use:Four months

Describe your officespace in three words:Embodying our brand

COVER STORY

PHOTOS BY JIM POULIN

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mailto:tgallen@bizjournals.commailto:tgallen@bizjournals.com

8/12/2019 The Creators of Cool - Phoenix Business Journal - Cover Story - Zion & Zion

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said Stephanie Fanger, work-

place strategist with Phoenix-

based Goodmans Interior

Structures.Still, Fanger echoed the

results of the ASID survey about

job seekers, especially younger

people, making decisions based

on office aesthetics.

Te millennial generation

shops around for employers,

she said. Its not always the

amount of money that attracts

them. Its the physical environ-

ment and amenities.

Fanger said the cost of a cool

or unique office space can fall

in line with that of a more tra-

ditional setup.

If anything, because open

configurations are utilized quite

frequently, it means less furni-ture and less pieces, she said.

Martha Baker, an architect

with Phoenix-based InKinet-

ic who has worked on various

types of office interiors, agreed.

I dont believe these types of

spaces need to cost more than a

traditional build-out, she said.

Sometimes you have to tap

into a bit more creativity and

resourcefulness, but the con-

cepts that make these environ-

ments unique can be achieved

on a variety of budgets.

However, final cost ultimate-

ly depends on the space design

and what type of furnishings or

layout a company wants.For Zion & Zion, that kind of

money brought large windows

looking onto downtown empe

and walls lined with white-

boards for doodling or jotting

down quick notes or brain-

stormed lists.

Te new space also features

integrated technology including

a room-reservation system and

touch-screen monitors for pre-

sentations. Zion & Zion worked

closely with neighboring archi-

tecture firm Architekton to

bring its new office concept to

fruition.

One key trend for offices is a

move toward open and collabo-

rative workplaces, said Fanger.

It brings people together,

she said. Different research has

found that if people get to know

co-workers, they are happier

and will be more productive.

Still, maintaining small-

er, private areas for employ-

ees to perform individual tasks

or speak privately with clients

also are important, said Baker,

who worked with empe-based

PopHealthMan in developing

an office that incorporated the

two extremes.

Depending on the clie

have an area thats more o

PopHealth vs. closed, shWe had to deal with aco

privacy and trying to m

the difference between

open and also having p

you need.

PopHealths offices in

an open area for informal

ings and interactions a

employees, as well as

where they can close do

private conversations.

Its a balance betwee

ing traditional formal

and also those open spac

everyone does like an

encourage people to co

rate, Baker said.

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

Aric Zion, CO-FOUNDER, ZION& Z

Why did you choose the layout/desigdid? We had a vision for the new offica bright, open, modern and comfortaenvironment for their team. The primgoals were to create a space that wouinspire our existing team and attract talent as we co ntinue to grow.

What are the benefits of your officespace l ayout/design? Increased effic

and collaboration (via touch-screentechnology and the ample supply of benclosed and open meeting space). Fexample, a main area of the new ZionZion building, the Cafe, not only prova break room for employees, but alsoused for client events.

How does it help your business?It promotes retention of existing teammembers and attracts new ones, whilinspiring people and making our agena place where people want to spendtime. Also, it allows creativity to happanywhere and take any form.

If you could redesign or renovate, isthere anything you would do differenPut a hot tub on the roof.

WHAT IS COO L?A 2012 survey by theAmerican Society of Interior

Designers attempted toquantify what a workspacemeans to employees.Here are a few results:

31%Employees who like theirworkplace who say they aremore likely to be satisiedwith their jobs

41%Job seekers who saidphysical oice spacewould inluence theirdecision on whether to

accept a job offer

51%Employees who saidphysical work space affectstheir decision on whetherto stay in an existing job

SOURCE: AMERICAN SOCIETYOF INTERIOR DESIGNERS

8.8 hoursAmount of time each dayspent at the oice foremployed adults ages 2554

SOURCE: U.S. BUREAUOF LABOR STATISTICS

We asked six local execuwith cool digs to commeon why they went with thinterior design they did, what it has meant to thebusiness and culture. Onfollowing six pages, withseries of photos illustratithe work environments, whighlight what they hadto say and how having acool work environment cbuild creativity and boosemployee production.

R MORE COOL SPA

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