Innovation thrives where inspiration lives, and nowhere is that more applicable than the workplace. In order to help great ideas flow, many companies today are trading in cubicles and closed office doors for bright colors, inspiring art, open collaboration areas and, yes, mountain views.
Curious where some of your favorite local tech companies do their best work? Take a look behind the scenes and see what inspired the designs of these offices.
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. “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!”
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.
Number of Colorado employees: Almost 50
Square footage: Fanatics’ primary space is 7,000 square feet, but they just took over an additional 2,500 square feet in their office building.
Move-in date: August 1, 2016
I think my favorite pieces are an autographed Peyton Manning jersey and a 2016 Cubs World Series championship jersey that we had custom-made with the name of one of our engineers.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“Our design was primarily inspired by the amazing views of Boulder from our office — three of the four exterior walls are all glass,” said Jim Oxenhandler, director of engineering and general manager of Fanatics’ Boulder office. “Before we moved in, the space had very low ceilings and enclosed offices that cut off the views of the Flatirons as well as Walnut Street and Broadway. We opened the ceilings and removed as many walls as we could. For the conference rooms that remain, we replaced most of the walls with glass. Now we have a space that feels very open and allows you to see the views from just about anywhere in the office. We have decorated the space with earth tones mixed with our company’s blue and red colors.”
What's the coolest or most unique feature?
“As a vertically integrated sports retailer, we manufacture our own logo apparel and produce memorabilia hand-signed by our exclusive athletes,” Oxenhandler said. “We have decorated our office with a lot of autographed memorabilia as well as mannequins dressed in our apparel. We rotate all of it periodically, but at the moment, I think my favorite pieces are an autographed Peyton Manning jersey and a 2016 Cubs World Series championship jersey that we had custom-made with the name of one of our engineers.”
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. “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.
Upserve develops restaurant management software that covers everything from point-of-sale functions and inventory management to payment processing and business analytics.
Number of Colorado employees: 70
Square footage: 6,373 square feet
Move-in date: March 2018
We believe all employees can make an impact — regardless of tenure or title — and we want our space to mirror that.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“Our core values — One Team, Curiosity, Impact, Empathy and Openness — are the inspiration for our office and our work,” said Office Operations Manager Meredith Carlson. “The open floor plan provides endless opportunities for collaboration and encourages a free flow of information and everyday leadership. We believe all employees can make an impact — regardless of tenure or title — and we want our space to mirror that. The brightly colored walls with inspirational quotes paired with comfy seating arrangements make it a space employees are excited and inspired to work in every day!”
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“The coolest feature would have to be our ping pong conference room table; we like to combine work and play,” Carlson said. “We also named our conference rooms after the nearby mountains that we love. In the center of our office is a cafe area that’s stocked with healthy and fun snacks and meals.”
Carbon Black provides cloud-based endpoint security for businesses, replacing traditional antivirus programs and using real-time data analytics to predict and prevent cyber attacks.
Number of Colorado employees: 90
Square footage: Currently 19,000 square feet but growing to 24,000 square when they build out the first floor of their office building.
Move-in date: September 1, 2018
We like being in the heart of the city — right on the Pearl Street Mall —surrounded by nearby amenities that our people can enjoy every day.”
What inspired the design of your office?
“Our people work in teams, so we tried to maximize open areas to promote collaboration,” said Senior Talent Brand Ambassador Ashley Perez. “Just as our business is dynamic and changing, so too are our working groups. Teams may change and people within teams change over time. We opted for a physical layout that allows for flexible and easy shifting of people within the space.”
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“We like being in the heart of the city — right on the Pearl Street Mall —surrounded by nearby amenities that our people can enjoy every day,” Perez said. “We believe our downtown location helps us attract and retain top talent in a highly competitive job market. Location aside, we do have bike storage, showers on site, a kegerator and an awesome rooftop deck.”
