The Weitz Company announced its relocation to the Park One commercial office complex located in the Camelback Corridor of Phoenix. The move was completed Nov. 25.
The Weitz Company was established in Iowa in 1855, and opened a Phoenix office in 1978 to serve clients in the regional Southwest. In those 35 years, Weitz has put in place in excess of $3B construction locally, including many landmark projects. In 2003, Weitz built and moved into its iconic 63,000 SF building at 5555 E. Van Buren St.
“We’ve had some wonderful times in this building,” says Janine Ploen, Weitz’ office manager, who has been an integral part of the move team and is celebrating her 25th year with the company.
The move to Park One was driven by numerous factors, including an alignment with current market focus. “The location, for our industry, is ideal,” says Mike Bontrager, executive vice president of Weitz. Its adjacency to the “Main & Main” intersection of Camelback Road and 24th Street within one of the city’s primary business districts positions the company well to access both clients and associates. “Additionally, the complex and the immediate area provide fantastic amenities for our employees.”
The new office build-out, designed by DAVIS architects of Tempe, has been managed by Byron Bartlo, senior project manager at Weitz. The company’s own field teams, led by superintendent Mike Bonkoski, are performing the tenant improvement build. Even the desks and workspaces were designed and built by the employees. “This has been a collaborative effort from the very beginning,” says Bontrager. Convening an office-move “think tank,” he called upon employees for input on everything from concept and space planning to fixtures and fittings, trying to capture the essence of the company. “We designed our new office to reflect who we are and to continue to reinforce a high-performing, collaborative culture.”
Low-walled offices hug the expansive window walls, allowing more light into the space and providing almost everyone a view. The few perimeter offices have no doors. There are “huddle rooms” to be used for smaller meetings, conference calls and confidential work, or for impromptu work sessions that require a closed door. The kitchen/break area is similar to open food and beverage venues in public facilities. Delineated from the workspace only by exposed rebar, it features a bar-style counter and high-top tables, and is positioned midpoint in the office to be available for employees and visitors for lunch and after-hours gatherings. Other features of the space include angled slot windows, a state-of-the-art training room for the virtual design and building information modeling groups, two interconnecting conference rooms, work/print spaces and of course, the main open floor area. Everywhere, the design incorporates juxtaposed geometric lines and raw building materials in a clear representation of the company’s core business.
