“I love it,” says Deb Leadbetter, Executive Assistant, HR /Performance Support. “It’s great being part of all the excitement with the whole company growing and seeing the entertainment district going up around us.” Connie Greenfield, Administrative Assistant, Acquisitions and Development, finds that the 1848 pieces of glass in the tower make it “open and airy, and we’ve got a great view of the Sprint Arena going up.”
More than one associate has described the move to the new building as like “being a family reunion” with co-workers getting to see each other every day for the first time in years. Connie Greenfield says, “Instead of sending an email or interoffice mail, I plan to go to the floor the person is on. It’s great to see people I’ve worked with but never met because they were in different buildings.”
None of this is news to Rita Kelly, Director Space Planning and Analysis, who says that associates stop her in the halls to tell her, “I love it!” An Associate Advisory Board provided feedback from the beginning on a multitude of topics that would affect associates. Eighteen associates were selected to represent a cross section of company tenure, residence, company roles, and other demographics. Ginger McCormick, Director IT and a member of the advisory board, says, “We had input on what amenities would be important, on the décor, and we named the conference rooms and cafeteria.” The advisory board was also consulted about challenges with the existing space, such as size of meetings and the importance of huddle rooms for managers. “They listened quite a bit to us,” Ginger said, “and addressed the root causes of our concerns.”
The moves from the five different locations to the new building were complex, using 6000 crates and six 24-foot trucks that were loaded unloaded as many as thirty times per move. Yet the moves went so smoothly that associates described it as awesome. “The technology was all up and running when I got here,” says David Orwick, Director Product Strategy. “There was even paper in the printer!”
Many associates will get a chance to share their excitement about H&R Block Center with their families. Open House will be held on Saturday, October 21, and will be filled with entertainment and fun. Keep an eye out for messages and BlockCentral articles about the Block Party Safari!
Copyright © 2006 by Terry Matz. Please do not reprint without permission.
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