Peter Gaslow, President and CEO of Empire Office, Inc., announces the launch of Empire’s new headquarters in New York City, located at 654 Madison Avenue. On the 14th floor, the space was designed with the architecture and design teams at VMAD and inspired by industry trends and the new way of working. With an emphasis on touch-down (versus dedicated) spaces and hosting client and team meetings in an open, flexible and amenity-filled space, the newly launched HQ is also home to Empire’s executive leadership team.

“During the pandemic, we found ourselves where most companies did – working remotely,” stated Gaslow. “For a company specializing in furniture for office spaces, this could not be farther from what we expected to see looking into our future. Like the clients we support, we knew we belonged back in the office, so we began searching for a new space to support us now and into the future.”

The search led to 654 Madison Avenue, just 30 blocks north of the company’s previous location and conveniently situated near Central Park, the Queensboro bridge, and a short distance from most trains and transit.

“The building’s mid-century design and boutique nature nestled within a luxe shopping district, not to mention a few blocks from the Steelcase showroom, made it the perfect choice for us,” said Jocelyn Corrigan, Chief Strategy Officer.

Together with the team at VMAD, Empire got to work creating an executive hub with eight private offices, including a CEO suite; reservable workstations; a variety of conference room sizes and open collaboration spaces; custom work pods; a phone nook; a mother’s retreat; and an inspirational workroom housing the Creative Studio and Marketing teams.

“Our goal was to build a more purposeful and targeted space that mirrors our brand and showcases how the workplace is evolving,” added Corrigan. “We took the time to examine our needs, wants, and desires for our next HQ space in both location and amenities. Flexibility, employee well-being, and collaboration emerged as the key driving factors.”

The style of the space is Scandinavian-modern, reflected in impressive marble stone slabs, arched doorways, rich velvets, wood slats, brass accents, and a sophisticated color palette with over a dozen brands represented, including Steelcase, Coalesse, Stylex, Watson, Allermuir, Andreu World, Hem, Menu, Viccarbe, Nucraft, Spacestor, Heartwork, Minotti, Tuohy, West Elm Work, and many more.

Empire’s custom millwork division, Fabricate, crafted one-of-a-kind furniture and built-in solutions that blend with the furniture selections for a unique but uniform look and feel. Fabricate’s engineers developed shop drawings based on the conceptual renderings from the VMAD team and sourced multiple material samples to match the furniture in the space. Signature pieces include large-scale sliding entry doors, a custom stone reception desk, upholstered benches and banquettes, custom velvet-wrapped work pods, built-in pantry cabinetry and stone tops, and a curved wooden portal.

The result is a welcoming environment that promotes socialization and draws in employees, partners, clients, and visitors.

“Today’s workplaces demand flexibility with a balance of open and private spaces, fostering collaborative and individual work needs that can change at a moment’s notice, and our space is no different,” said Gaslow. “Our teams are very pleased with the outcome and the opportunity to see and collaborate with colleagues again in person. It’s a great time to be back in the office.”

In December, Empire Office celebrated one-year post-acquisition of DeKalb Office, which expanded its reach in the Southeastern U.S. with physical locations in Atlanta, GA, and Birmingham, AL. The company’s client list now boasts 41 of the top 100 Fortune500 companies in the U.S.

Together with our sponsors, Empire hosted an event earlier this month in Atlanta’s thriving West Midtown neighborhood. On the gorgeous 7th-floor amenity space of the brand-new Star Metals building, we hosted an incredible group from the design & broker communities, manufacturer partners, and clients from every vertical market.

We celebrated the launch of Empire Office in Atlanta (post-DeKalb Office acquisition) while listening to live music from Suburban Desperados and enjoying the delicious cuisine from Proof of the Pudding caterers.

Thank you to everyone who came and made the evening unforgettable! And a BIG thank you to our generous sponsors: AMQ, Arcadia, CFC Group, Complete, DesignTex, Global Furniture Group, IOA/Six Degrees, Kimball International, Krug, MRG Southeast, Main Solutions, OFS, SE Contract, SitonIt Seating, Steelcase, & WIT Contract.

Check out some images below.

Despite employers’ best efforts to entice everyone back to the office with free snacks and fun events, people are dragging their feet. Their reluctance isn’t about COVID: If you look at the data, far more people have been to a restaurant, movie theater, or traveled on an airplane than who’s gone to the office, according to the Kastle Back to Work Barometer. People’s resistance doesn’t seem to be about flexible work either. Hybrid work has been embraced by 71% of global leaders, giving people the option to work two-to-three days from home or other locations.

Our partner, Steelcase, has determined a successful recipe for companies striving to bring their employees back to the office and willingly stay. A well-planned hybrid work policy is more than just allowing your employees to work from home a few days a week. The best plans include a reimagination of workplace design as well as in-office policies and technologies. Looking beyond the typical carrot-and-stick approach, employees are demanding a change in their experience while in the office. Is your workplace optimized for hybrid work?

Read more by visiting: Hybrid Needs a Home: Designing Neighborhoods at Work.

As we returned to Chicago in June, we were inspired by the innovative designs of Neocon 2022. This year’s theme, Design Makes a Statement, emulated from every showroom.

Even as hybrid work remains top of mind, the typical workplace is certainly not forgotten. As evidenced by what was on display at Neocon this year, brands are doubling down on technology solutions, resimercial designs, enhanced collaborative solutions, and areas for focused heads-down work.

Curved features, geometric shapes, Scandinavian-inspired designs, and earthy color tones dominated Neocon this year.

Check out all that’s new in our annual Neocon Trend Report.

Gary Levitan, Global Head of Procurement, Sourcing and Supply Chain, WeWork spoke to Procurement magazine on why the time is now for flexible working and the need for procurement talent.

In the enlightening conversation, Gary discusses the importance of data, technology and category management processes in scaling the business at WeWork given the explosive growth the company has continued to see in the face of the changing realities of work coming out of the global pandemic era. He also talks about good partnerships being critical and highlights Empire Office as one of those partners for WeWork.

A brief excerpt from the article is below.

Excerpt:

“Partnerships are critical,” says Levitan. “ It’s a bit of a cliche, especially in the procurement world. Our global supply chains are posing never-before-seen complexities and only by proactively leveraging true, collaborative partnerships do organizations stand any chance of mitigating these potentially existential risks.”

“Empire Office is an example of a partner who helps us buy furniture directly from multiple manufacturers. Although our product is space, that space comes furnished with fixtures and technology, and we need to get those products to our customers and members on time,” says Levitan. “Our partnership with Empire allows us to deliver fully furnished space on time and on budget.” This partnership helps WeWork create clear communication and clear expectations on both sides, at a time when having a reciprocal relationship is more critical than ever.

Read the full article here.