The office space behind a Colorado tech company says a lot about its culture and its people — from the ping-pong tables to the artwork. Throughout the year, we've been lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at a number of those offices and see for ourselves where big ideas come to life.
Here's a look at some of the coolest office spaces we've seen in 2017.
Location: Broomfield
Industry: Adtech
Number of CO employees: 250
Square footage: 38,730-square-feet
Move-in date: June 5, 2017
What inspired the design of your office?
"This is the first office we've ever designed,” said COO and CFO Steve Swoboda. “Always before, we inherited space and furniture. It gave us the opportunity to design the space to match the way we work: that is, an open office format with groups sitting together to maximize interaction, coupled with a ton of open collaboration areas and conference rooms of all sizes where teams and participants from outside of Colorado (both other SpotX offices, as well as clients and partners) can interact.”
What's the coolest or most unique feature?
“The most unique attribute of the office is the internal stair we installed that connects the kitchen/game/common areas on the third and fourth floors,” Swoboda said. “This is adjacent to the big training room which, when opened up, allows for all 250-plus folks in our office to gather together."
SpotX CEO Mike Shehan added, "The balance between open working environment and an ample supply of meeting rooms that connect us to all our global offices via Hangouts is huge.
After years at Boulder’s 29th Street Mall, adtech company Sovrn moved into a brand new office in east Boulder. It’s the first commercial building in Colorado made from cross-laminate timber, a sustainable wood beam and post structure used extensively in Europe. Along the south side of the building is a wall of glass, offering great views of the Flatirons.
Location: Boulder
Number of CO employees: 225
Move-in date: February 2017
The office layout: Both levels of the office feature open space, and even the executive offices have open desks. In addition to choosing whether they’d like a standing desk or a traditional one, employees also have the option of using a chair or an exercise ball for seating.
Throughout the office, team members have access to conference rooms, phone rooms, huddle areas and places where they can simply hang out and talk with one another. Included in these extra spaces are colorful booths, which lend a sense of privacy and collaboration to the office.
Unique features: Sovrn has two kitchens; a communal kitchen for everyday use, and an industrial kitchen for catered events and for days when lunch is provided. There’s also a giant, fully-stocked wall of snacks, and a barista from Ozo Coffee takes up residence in the office every day from 8 to 11 a.m.
Fanatics is one of the largest distributors of licensed sports merchandise, taking a tech-driven approach that enables them to deliver both fan favorites and timely new products on-demand. It’s no surprise, then, that memorabilia adorns their office walls.
Location: Boulder
Number of CO employees: 45
Square footage: 7,000-square-feet
Move-in date: August 1, 2016
What inspired the design of your office?
“Our design was inspired by the amazing views from our Fanatics office (you can see from the Flatirons all the way to Pearl Street!) and our company’s sports roots,” said Jim Oxenhandler, director of branded engineering. “We opened the space up as much as possible and replaced most of the remaining walls with glass so that you can see the view from just about anywhere in the office. We then decorated the space with earth tones mixed with our companies blue and red colors.”
What's the coolest or most unique feature?
“We have a lot of autographed memorabilia, hand-signed by our exclusive athletes. For example, we have a football signed by Von Miller, a jersey autographed by Matt Duchene and even a soccer ball signed by Pelé,” Oxenhandler said.
Location: Highlands Ranch
Industry: Fitness, SaaS
Number of CO employees: 91
Square footage: 20,000-square-feet
Move-in date: 2012; expanded/renovated in 2016
What inspired the design of your office?
“Well, our office is a bit unusual,” said Casey Steiner, director of talent and culture at Zen Planner. “We are above a sandwich shop in the suburbs (Highlands Ranch). It’s definitely not the typical place you think of for a software company, but you walk in our doors and our office is super bright (most offices/huddle rooms are on the interior).
“We have mountain views, and the desk setup lets conversation and energy flow throughout our office. Communication and a collaborative work environment were key for us in designing our space. Creating a bright, comfortable workspace that promotes productivity and creativity while showcasing the many personalities of the team is important to us.
“When building out our expanded space in early 2016, a couple of people took an active interest in it, so we were able to use their expertise to help with design decisions. The team also adds their own touches, including a giant inflatable shark hanging from the ceiling. The sales team created an Instagram wall, and the customer success team created a ‘Zen Den’ where you can relax, decompress or nap in a giant beanbag during lunch if you want.”
What's the coolest or most unique feature?
“There are so many to choose from,” Stein said. “Our fitness room is used all the time by the team. From pull-up progression classes to Thursday Yoga to meditation that we hold three times per week — that room is one of the team favorites. I’ve even seen managers have their one-on-ones with team members in that room.
“Each team took lead on decorating their huddle rooms at Zen Planner. On the product development side, the husband of one of our product managers painted the Darth Vader room. He also created the Zen Planner 'Z' wall decoration out of wood pallet board.”
Peaksware creates software tools to help musicians and athletes master the art of deliberate practice. Under the roof of the company’s Boulder office live four different brands — MakeMusic, TrainingPeaks, AlfredMusic and TrainHeroic — which have made their marks on the company culture and the inspirational design of the office.
Number of CO employees: 270 between all brands
Square footage: 32,000-square-feet
What inspired the design of your office?
Our Peaksware office design is inspired by the tools we create for musicians and athletes and the passions that drive our teams.
At MakeMusic, our mission is to develop innovative solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. Music is all we do and we do it better than anyone else — thus, the onsite music studio!
At TrainingPeaks, we believe there is a right way to train for an endurance event. It starts with having a clear goal, finding expert instruction, performing structured training and receiving immediate feedback throughout the process. That’s why we’ve built a fully equipped on-site gym with plenty of bike storage.
What are the most unique features?
The Woodshed and The Pain Cave. We have a fully equipped onsite gym and a top-shelf music studio for all employees to use for work or for play.
