Katie Krawczyk scoured the city for a long-term home for her integrated communications firm, 19 Ideas.
Ultimately she decided to double down on the West Side neighborhood where the firm has been rooted since 2015.
19 Ideas completed an extensive renovation in March 2020 of its Essex Street headquarters, in a complex owned by the Ashford Hollow Foundation, operated by the Griffis family.
As employees return to the office and in-person meetings resume this spring, the firm is starting to unveil the space to the public.
Krawczyk said a big part of the goal was to create a space where people wanted to work, especially as the firm hires for tech and professional services talent in a highly competitive environment.
It’s a bet that personal touch matters in a market where major corporations are pulling out all the stops in their thirst for talent.
“We want this to be a place that shows we care about people as individuals,” she said, referencing famed entrepreneur Richard Branson’s philosophy that “you take care of your people and they will take care of your clients.”
To channel her vision, Krawczyk hired a market researcher to do one-on-one interviews with staff and key clients and ultimately tapped Buffalo-based michael P. design to bring the vision to life.
The firm, which has 21 employees and is hiring for several more, took over the first floor of the building, which used to be an apartment, and renovated existing space on the second floor. Take a look at some of the work below.
