Company: SPS Commerce
Headquarters: 333 S. Seventh St., Minneapolis
Size: Size 23,000 square feet
Designer: NELSON
General contractor: Greiner Construction

SPS Commerce, a systems management firm, has been redesigning its downtown Minneapolis headquarters one floor at a time, learning as they go. The most recent renovation is based on a “neighborhood” design, senior vice president Mike Carey says. The layout is more open, with spaces to allow group gatherings, but it also provides for private conversations and focus areas.

“You can be professional without being stuffy,” Carey says. “The space was meant to drive conversations.”

That started with the remodeling process. Employees were encouraged to take part—providing ideas and insights about the type of work environment that works for them.

Flexible furniture encourages collaboration, Carey says. The new SPS conference rooms are equipped with the latest technology. There’s even a new library for those who need some peace and quiet.

To make the office more “natural, airy, fun, and collaborative,” Carey says, SPS moved some private offices away from the windows and into interiors, which Carey says brings more light into the space.

—Ellen Schneider