| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : NOVEMBER 6, 2000 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| FRONTIER -- WORKPLACE
Focus on Function Steedman Wilson Charlotte, N.C. WHAT IT DOES: Advertising agency EMPLOYEES: 15 GOAL: To create a highly functional workplace--visually appealing but not frivolous. COST: $900,000 Before moving into her new headquarters, Charlotte (N.C.) advertising pro Toni Steedman spent a lot of time scrutinizing current trends in office design. The whole world, it seemed, was scrambling to appear young and hip, adding foosball tables, nap rooms, even basketball courts. Sure, Steedman wanted to project a fresh image to attract both clients and employees. But, she wondered, did anyone get any work done in these spaces? She opted not to find out. When Steedman, 45, was ready to move Steedman Wilson, her 15-person ad agency, into an 80-year-old, 6,100-square-foot former textile warehouse on Charlotte's ''Dot-com Alley,'' she kept the focus on function, not frivolity. With $5 million in 2000 revenues and clients in traditional industries such as health care and financial services, she needed to maintain ''a certain professionalism.... I'm not sure I want to send the message that this is where you come to play basketball.'' Nearly every detail of the agency's new office design invites employees to work efficiently and creatively. In designing her dream office with architect John Gardner and designer Diane Tucker, Steedman went so far as to measure the distance between desks and light-tables to minimize art directors' steps. She also created a filing system to track paperwork and stock images, and two libraries. Functional as it is, the space defies boredom. The ceilings, with exposed beams and ducts, soar 30-feet high; the desks and conference tables curve seductively amid brightly colored walls and checkerboard-patterned chairs. Employees can't play ball, but they can relax in the inviting, fully stocked kitchen. While there are closed offices for executives, all but two walls are temporary. ''As she expands, the entire office can be moved into a different configuration,'' says Tucker. Just don't expect one of them to include a half-court. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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