Office Envy: Norwest Equity Partners
After roughly two decades with a cavernous 24,000-square-foot space in Minneapolis’ IDS Center, local investment firm Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) recently moved to the new RBC Gateway on the edge of the North Loop, where less is proving to be more.
The oversized windows of NEP’s new ninth-floor space overlook the Mississippi River and the Warehouse District, where the firm’s founders got their start in 1961. NEP is known for investing in Minnesota companies including Life Time, Eyebobs, and ShockDoctor.
“When you walk into our office, we want you to feel a sophisticated casualness.”
—Heather Goodwin, Norwest Equity Partners
The nearly 15,000-square-foot space reflects the post-pandemic emphasis on collaboration. Natural light bathes the entire office, where employees work together in a central area surrounded by art depicting local icons like Bob Dylan. Gone are the old cherrywood doors that once separated partners from the rest of the staff. Here, glass doors make workspaces transparent and accessible. Shared workrooms are named after Minnesota sports teams, with the Lynx room an office favorite for its sunset views. Employees gather in the office Skyline Café for complimentary daily lunches (except Wednesday, when they’re encouraged to patronize nearby restaurants with co-workers).
“We really pride ourselves on being approachable, so we wanted to develop something that has transparency, where nothing is behind closed doors,” says NEP senior advisor Heather Goodwin. “When you walk into our office, we want you to feel a sophisticated casualness.”
The inviting aesthetic was also designed with client privacy in mind; sound panels in conference rooms are designed for “acoustic tightness,” Goodwin says. The office is also wired with the latest technology to make hybrid collaboration seamless for both clients and staff at NEP’s second office in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Despite downsizing, NEP’s new downtown Minneapolis office feels like a more expansive, more efficient place to propel the company into the future, Goodwin says. “We had to make the best use of our square footage for the amount of people [who now work in the office], and it was completely designed on how we have to work.”
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Who: Norwest Equity Partners
Where: 250 Nicollet Mall
Size: 14,880 square feet
Designer: Nelson
