The place where you plug in every day is important, and few seem to understand that better than tech companies.
The headquarters of businesses like Google and Facebook look more like art museums and playgrounds than the headquarters of international technology giants. But Silicon Valley isn't the only place that boasts impressive tech offices. There are plenty of companies in the Twin Cities that have created amazing office spaces by putting unique design, personalization and comfort front and center.
There's a lot more that goes into building notable office spaces that help companies attract and retain talent as they grow. Minne Inno combed the local tech scene for some of the most interesting and unique local tech offices. Here are four that we envy the most.
SportsEngine
Located in a refurbished lightbulb factory in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis, SportsEngine's wide-open office space has plenty of space to grow its team, which currently stands at 350 people.
The sports-tech company moved into its current space in 2015. Like a lot of offices in Northeast, SportsEngine's space in the Highlight Center features an interesting mix of old and new. The office has hardwood floors, high ceilings and exposed brick, but incorporates updated elements to serve the growing team. One of the most interesting parts of the SportsEngine's office is an area called the "Great Room," a tiered gathering space that looks almost like a sports stadium.
"Employees love the space for its casual environment. It is the opposite of stuffy," said SportsEngine Marketing Director Jenna Soule. "There's lots of open space for in-person collaboration, but plenty of meeting spaces from individual hotels to large conference rooms for work sessions."
Ovative Group
Ovative Group, a local digital media firm, recently moved into The Nordic, a new building in Minneapolis' North Loop. The company occupies the ninth and tenth floors in the building and has a private space on the rooftop. Ovative's office space features sit-to-stand desks, kombucha on tap and spacious conference rooms. Ovative also has a court for feather bowling (a Belgian sport similar to bocce ball), and says that it's only the third feather bowling court in North America.
"This environment will be a great asset to continue attracting and retaining top talent in our organization. We are just beginning," Ovative Founder and CEO Dale Nitschke said in an email.
Rally Health
Rally Health is a digital health company within the sprawling UnitedHealth Group family. Differentiating itself from the parent company is part of the goal of its downtown Minneapolis office in the Millwright Building.
The office has a cycling theme throughout. Wheels decorate the walls of the all-hands area, a meeting space and cafeteria with tiered seating along the wall and large, communal tables. This theme is more than superficial. Rally sponsors the Minnesota-based Rally UHC Cycling men's and women's teams, which are honored by conference rooms named after team standouts.
Impact Hub
A brewery and a coworking company might seem like unlikely neighbors - but that's not the case for Finnegans and Impact Hub. Both companies have a social impact focus. Finnegans donates its profits to local food shelves and Impact Hub supports the area's social impact entrepreneurs.
Last year, the two groups moved into a newly-developed space in downtown Minneapolis as part of Finnegans House - a four-level brewery, taproom, social club and entrepreneurial center. The move provided Impact Hub with a chance to better customize space for their members, individuals and businesses that tackle some of the world's most pressing issues from homelessness and clean water access to hunger and voter registration.
