Reprinted with permission from the Dubois County Free-Press
Kimball has consolidated all of the Kimball International brands at its newly renovated 52,000 square-foot headquarters at 1600 Royal Street in Jasper.
The process began in 2017 when the longtime Jasper company set out to create a new headquarters for the Kimball brand and the Kimball International leadership team as well as a central hub for all the brands to be united in one location.
In finishing the renovation, 180 employees from the separate brands now work at the new campus.
“In designing the new Kimball corporate headquarters, our strategy has been simple and consistent from the beginning,” said Wendy Murray, Director of Marketing and Product at Kimball, “build the most incredible spaces by committing to our core values and a vision that attracts the most character-driven and talented people in the world.”
Kimball partnered with the design firm ai3 to create an environment to fuel organizational efficiency and attract and retain top talent. The company decided to focus on shifting from simply housing people in an office to serving its employees with flexible and relevant environments. The goal being to create a space featuring multiple choices for furniture and technology applications to support their employees and the changing nature of workplace activities.
“We designed a unique space to serve as the anchor of Kimball Headquarters,” said Murray.
Sitting at the epicenter of the new corporate campus is the Heartwood Hub. The name draws upon Kimball’s rich heritage in wood as well as the heartwood of a tree being the center from which everything flows outward. As such, the Heartwood Hub unites all the Kimball International brands in a shared space in a dynamic, welcoming atmosphere that is designed with the Kimball family in mind. The Heartwood Hub acts as the cultural and functional melting pot of the brands.
The space is flexible. Along with the integration of technology, its communal meeting spaces, lounge areas, and private huddle rooms accommodate a variety of users — large social groups to employees who need a quiet enclave for heads-down work. It also includes a fitness studio and café.
“It’s a place where our people can connect, unwind, recharge, and refuel. It truly is the heart of our campus and company,” said Murray.
Heartwood Hub will also serve as a working showroom for Kimball’s customers to visit and utilize.
According to Murray, Kimball has a continued commitment to being not only a company that focuses on innovation, knowledge, and adaptability but also a workplace that is committed to the well-being of its associates.
Along with the renovation, Kimball has also registered the new corporate headquarters to be WELL certified. The WELL building standard fosters a holistic formula for better health and wellness outcomes, including a focus on seven key areas: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind –- all of which can lead to improvements in employee productivity, engagement, and retention.
“Earning WELL Certification for our headquarters reinforces that we’re putting our people first and establishing a workplace that will lead to improvements in employee productivity, engagement, and retention,” said Murray. “Our workplace reflects what our brand stands for, and that we are doing for ourselves what we do for our customers — creating environments for the future with forward-thinking concepts in product, place, and people.”
Excellent working environments are imperative to ensuring a happy and productive workforce. With this significant renovation, Kimball’s new workspace is designed to be comfortable and inviting while reflecting the future of work – incorporating relevant and sustainable products that support the new workday with major drivers in technology and design.
“At Kimball, we craft what’s next, and our goal was to create a space that expressed our culture and our people,” Murray explained. “We have established an environment that fosters new possibilities, facilitates idea-sharing, blends technology with materials, and designs new solutions. This truly is a space where the work will get done now – and in the future.”