A company’s office space says a lot about the people who work there and the culture they’ve created. From bright-colored graffiti murals to ski gondola call booths, cozy collaboration corners to jaw-dropping views — Colorado tech’s office spaces are a reflection of the ambitious visions and colorful characters that inhabit their walls.
We’ve been lucky to get an inside look at many of those office spaces throughout the year, and we’ve pulled together a list of our top five favorites from 2018.
Xero makes cloud-based small business accounting software that simplifies and streamlines the complicated processes that often leave those without finance knowledge scratching their heads.
Number of Colorado employees: About 150
Square footage: About 30,000 square feet
Move-in date: August 20, 2018
The design of our office is just one part of how we enable our team members to do the best work of their lives.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“The design of our office is inspired by our offices around the world; it takes the best of our learnings on how to enable our collaborative culture and puts them together in one physical space,” said VP of People and Business Operations Andy Burner in September. “It allows our people to choose a work area that suits them based on any given day or task at hand. Rather than assigned seating, Xero’s people have the option to choose from quiet spaces for phone calls and focused work, rooms for virtual and in-person meetings, collaboration areas such as booths or flexi-tables, a comfy couch or our mezzanine. Then, you’ve got the more traditional desk in your team’s ‘neighborhood,’ which is fitted out with all the bells and whistles you would need. The design of our office is just one part of how we enable our team members to do the best work of their lives.”
What are the coolest or most unique features?
“While the design of our office is perhaps also the most unique thing about it, the location is hard to beat,” Burner explained. “We have an amazing view of downtown Denver on one side and the LoHi neighborhood on the other. In this neighborhood, we are perfectly situated in close proximity to the area’s amazing shops, restaurants and bars. We’re located at the base of the Highland Bridge – meaning we’re just minutes away from Commons Park, the Pepsi Center and Union Station by foot. It’s a beautiful place to work!”
Tack Mobile is a digital agency that designs and builds software for mobile and connected devices, leveraging the latest technologies to help its clients stand out.
Number of Colorado employees: 11
Square footage: 8,000 square feet, including an adjacent co-working space at Assembly.
Move-in date: September 2014
[We made] sure our break room was somewhat isolated so someone could realistically play a quick Fortnite game during the day without disrupting those at their desks.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“We looked at the Dropbox offices and the Fog Creek office for inspiration,” said President John Myers in September. “Natural light and a balance of privacy and openness were the primary considerations.”
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“We had custom, walnut sit-stand workstations made, and put some thought into making sure our break room was somewhat isolated so someone could realistically play a quick Fortnite game during the day without disrupting those at their desks,” Myers said.
Bluprint offers online tutorials and crafting supplies to help people explore the hobbies they’re passionate about. From sewing and knitting to creating art or baking a cake, Bluprint blends e-commerce and content creation to empower self-expression.
Number of Colorado employees: 220
Square footage: 44,919
Move-in date: July 2013
“The best ideas and conversations often come up in unplanned ways when you put good thinkers together in an open environment.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“We're believers in serendipity,” said office manager Jennifer Handy in March. “The best ideas and conversations often come up in unplanned ways when you put good thinkers together in an open environment. That’s why you see plenty of comfy lounges and not a lot of closed offices.”
What’s the coolest feature we’ll find in your office?
“Creativity is at the heart of our business, so of course our space is colorful and imaginative,” Handy said. “We love to showcase the incredible work of our community, so walking through you'll see plenty of gorgeous quilts, fiber art and even cakes.”
CSG helps businesses stay ahead in a dynamic, complex and fast-changing digital world with solutions that range from revenue management and customer experience to digital monetization and managed services.
Location: Greenwood Village
Industry: Managed IT services, software
Number of CO employees: 249
Square footage: Top two floors of a 10-story, 300,000-square-foot office building.
“Floor to ceiling glass walls grace the hallways, stainless and wood accents are paired with trendy furniture throughout the office.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“The architects wanted it to feel timeless, with a high attention to detail and materials,” said Andrew Brown, a talent acquisition brand strategist, in January. “Floor to ceiling glass walls grace the hallways, stainless and wood accents are paired with trendy furniture throughout the office and various pieces of environmental artwork showcase CSG’s freshly revamped brand.”
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“A 3,000-square-foot ‘corporate living room’ on the ground floor eliminates the typical ‘walk in the front door and go up the elevator to your space’ mentality with its vibrant open design,” Brown said. “It allows you to get out of your office and come down to this space for a relaxing view, a cup of gourmet coffee or snack from the coffee shop, or to have a quick meeting in style. We also have some cool features like a digital admin and an open-air kitchen with a cafeteria.”
Alteryx’s self-service data analytics platform helps businesses harness the power of their data. Using a streamlined and simplified format, data analysts and scientists can extract insights fast and from one platform.
Number of Colorado employees: 182
Square footage: About 40,000
Move-in date: December 2017
We wanted to make sure we celebrated the state of Colorado as a part of our space.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“We wanted to make sure we celebrated the state of Colorado as a part of our space,” said Amy Holland, VP of platform operations, in March. “The mural of the mountains in our community room, the gondola from Keystone and the graffiti from local artists are all reflections of that. Keeping as much natural light was also really important. We made sure that all of the offices and the majority of the conference rooms were internal so that our associates were near the windows. The furniture was also key. Lots of our associates prefer standing desks, so we made sure that was part of our buildout.”
What’s the coolest feature in your office?
“There’s the obvious gondola, but the mural in our community space was made by one of our employees. It’s gorgeous by itself, but what makes it special is that it’s made of up song lyrics and favorite quotes from our associates around the globe,” Holland said.
