One of Central Ohio's fastest-growing companies is shrinking its office space – adopting a collaborative design for the new way of working that emerged from the pandemic.
Arcos LLC is renovating 7,000 square feet at 8800 Lyra Dr. in the Polaris region, expecting it to be ready by September. Staff are entirely virtual since the software maker vacated an office nearly twice that size this month at 445 Hutchinson Ave. in Crosswoods.
"Pre-pandemic, we were thinking about expanding our office space," said Lisa Federico, Arcos senior vice president of marketing.
Like many office-based employers, the company shifted almost overnight to working from home – and people liked it. But over time, she said, people missed connecting and collaborating.
"(The old office) was 1990s style – a ton of cubicles and high walls – not a lot that is appealing, that you might see at a Versa or a COhatch," Federico said. "Our employees are vibrant, they’re creative, they’re collaborative. Our office space didn’t match.
"Employers need to take advantage of the impact design really has of presenting a place people want to work."
Arcos expects to grow to about 200 employees from 150 this year. With increased remote hiring, about 40% of the staff live in Central Ohio. Other main hubs are in Des Moines and New York City.
Last year's hires included several replacements for people who'd left, plus about two dozen new jobs, so a good portion of the staff haven't yet met their co-workers in person.
"Not having that customer contact, as well as our colleagues’ contact, it’s been a struggle," Federico said.
The new office, with capacity for about 120 people, will have some workstations for "hoteling," but is dominated by various ways to huddle, such as a conference room, couch or diner-style booth. There are some offices with doors, but they aren't designated for specific executives.
Check out the slideshow for renderings of the new Arcos headquarters.
Arcos - lyra dr HQ
Arcos also now will have a spot to host clients. Its resource management subscription software helps utilities, airlines, manufacturers and other critical infrastructure clients dispatch crews and plan equipment and supply movement.
Tenfold, the Columbus corporate culture, strategy and creative agency, designed the space. Columbus-based MS Consultants Inc. is the architect. Tenfold clients include Huntington, OhioHealth and New York-based NBCUniversal, and it has a recent foray into retail space to promote small business.
"We’re seeing a lot of employers get rid of their square footage," said Haley Sherman, Tenfold director of business development. "The reason to come in to the office is to collaborate, to ideate, to be around others."
Tenfold involved many Arcos employees, from new hires to veterans, over several months to brainstorm what would make the headquarters "functional, memorable, exciting," Sherman said.
"It will be a killer design," CEO Odus “Boogie” Wittenburg said in a statement.
Wittenburg joined the company last month, leading it from Austin and traveling to Columbus frequently.
Revenue is between $40 million and $75 million. Majority owned by Austin private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, Arcos has made Columbus Business First's Fast 50 list of the fastest-growing private companies 11 times in 14 years.
The company has tech neighbors in its new digs. The building's outside signage reflects a local Microsoft Corp. office and its status as one of two main U.S. hubs for Veeam Software Corp.
