Cushman & Wakefield typically brokers deals for a tenant’s relocation to a new office space, but this time, the shoe was on the other foot.
Following the $2 billion merger of Cushman & Wakefield and DTZ in September 2015, the firm’s Phoenix branch nearly doubled the size of its workforce and footprint in Arizona. Until now, the firm occupied two offices in two different buildings on two opposite sides of 24th Street.
Thus, Andy Snedeker, vice president of project and development services at Cushman & Wakefield, was tasked with navigating the consolidation and construction of a new office space.
The new space reflects popular design trends like an open layout, collaborative workspaces, upgraded break-rooms and amenities for employees and visitors.
“We will be unlocking the power of collaboration, as well as productivity,” says Snedeker. “The office has been designed to create a workplace where our employees are empowered each and every day.”
Cushman & Wakefield’s new offices, totaling 34,000 square feet, are located on the entire fourth floor and half of the third at Esplanade V, which was the old Cole Real Estate office.
AZRE: What motivated the move?
AS: After the Cushman & Wakefield and DTZ merger in 2015, we needed to get our people under one roof. When picking a new space, we wanted to have a more dynamic and energetic space to invite clients and to allow us to host industry events more frequently. We are creating a next level workplace for Cushman & Wakefield’s next phase of success.
AZRE: What’s your favorite part about the new office?
AS: My favorite part of the new office are the collaborative workspaces. We have nearly 30 conference and/or breakout rooms at strategic locations that will allow teams/individuals to use them accordingly. We will also have wine, beer and iced coffee on tap, which is also a nice amenity – especially come 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon.
AZRE: What was one challenge with the move?
AS: We have been in the same space for 15-20 years and the amount of files and clutter that we have accumulated over the years wasn’t able to be moved over. There’s not enough room. In the new office, we are moving more towards a simplistic and more paperless environment.
AZRE: Who had the most stuff to move?
AS: Brian Lee, one of our industrial senior managing directors, had his work cut out for him. He has been in the business for years and I think he has kept every piece of paper he has ever received. There are piles and piles of papers on his desk with no filing system. In the office, we call it ‘organized clutter’ but if you ask him where anything is, he can immediately dig it out – surprisingly!
