Portland software company LegitScript is moving out of its Slabtown office and into a new downtown address.
The company leased space in U.S. Bancorp Tower starting April 1, said CEO Scott Roth. LegitScript has 250 global employees and about 150 based out of the Portland headquarters.
“We looked at Lake Oswego and Beaverton and we looked at some of the surrounding areas like the Central Eastside, South Waterfront and Johns Landing,” said Roth. “For us, a big part of the decision was to be a part of the solution for helping out downtown Portland.”
The team at Unico Properties, which is co-owner of U.S. Bancorp Tower, is pleased to have LegitScript move in.
“It’s exciting to see a Portland-based tech company make a statement by investing in downtown,” said Brian Pearce, executive vice president of real estate services for Unico. “We believe in downtown Portland and we’re excited that they do, too.”
LegitScript started looking for new space about six months ago. It had previously signed a three-year sublease for its Slabtown space, and that is set to expire this month.
As Roth and the team explored options they also consulted with staff. The biggest feedback was people wanted a more central location and access to transit.
“As much as we love Slabtown and the scene (there), it was hard for people to get to with transit,” Roth said. “So we wanted something accessible with the bus, the MAX and streetcar. And we wanted a spot that would be a really nice location for people who are coming in that they would be rewarded with a great (space).”
The new office is completely turnkey and does not require any new build out, said Roth. He declined to get into details on size of the space. In securing this lease he worked with JLL, the Technology Association of Oregon, Prosper Portland and the mayor’s office.
Safety was a concern expressed by employees during the process, Roth said. Much of the discussions that happened with the mayor’s office and Prosper Portland focused on safety, he added. Separately, last year, Unico unveiled an autonomous security robot that patrols the area around Big Pink.
“We really felt good about what we heard about what was going on to make downtown a safe environment and the things we could get involved in as a company to be a part of that,” he said.
The company plans to leverage the recent city tax incentives approved for businesses located in downtown.
“We looked at everything and we just, honestly, felt so supported by so many different groups in the city,” while making this decision, Roth said.
LegitScript does not require employees to work from the office. Instead, Roth said the team has been intentional to allow employees the option of where to work. Twice a year the entire company gathers and there are quarterly local meetings.
The company has found that individual teams will come in for meetings as needed. Or employees that want to come in regularly will. With the new office, Roth hopes the view, amenities and central location will encourage more people to come in.
With this new centrally located space, Roth also hopes to host more community events. The company is sponsoring April and September events for the group We Believe in Portland, which has business leaders and the community cleaning up areas of downtown.
LegitScript works with search engines, e-commerce platforms and payments companies to ensure that merchants and products and services on websites are legitimate businesses and following regulations. The company uses big data and artificial intelligence plus experienced staff to monitor and certify entities.
Last summer it acquired Beaverton software developer Fox and Geese. That company’s product helps companies monitor changes made to websites, which can be useful for keeping track to changes made by competitors, vendors and regulators.
