Office With an Attitude Enhances Team, Client Experience
Steve Herron realized several years ago that clients have come to think of services as commodities--to be purchased from the cheapest and quickest vendor. For a company such as his industrial and commercial appraisal firm to compete, he knew that his service had to reach a higher level. That’s why, when his lease came up nearly two years ago, Herron decided to make his workplace not just an office but an experience. He was interviewed by freelance writer Karen E. Klein.
Disneyland doesn’t just sell rides, it offers a total escape to “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
The Rain Forest restaurant goes much further than just serving a meal, it gives you an adventure.
Coffee used to be a commodity; then Starbucks made it an experience.
We wanted our clients to have an experience in our facility that was positive so they would think of us first the next time they thought of appraisals.
Clients don’t visit the typical appraiser’s office much. The work is done in the field or in the client’s office. A lot of appraisers operate out of a back bedroom or small executive suite.
I knew I could improve on that, and the best place to begin was to create a facility that would be a magnet for top-caliber employees, and where a client might be drawn into the company’s culture and feel he has a whole team on his side.
When we were looking for a new facility, the top of my wish list was that it would be a place that was fun to come to, where the family-like culture we have achieved with our employees would be enhanced.
We had been leasing a stuffy, 4,000-square-foot office space in Anaheim. And not only did we need more room, we were tired of paying rent without building any equity. We wanted to find a building we could purchase, but we knew that Southern California office space has not performed as well as industrial real estate as an investment.
I found a new, 7,000-square-foot building in a Tustin industrial park. Since it was designed as a small warehouse, it came for much less cost than a new conventional office and has the potential for even greater appreciation in value.
We purchased the building in shell condition in 1999 and constructed private offices around the inside perimeter, each with a glass door that opens into a central courtyard that features stained concrete floors, old-fashioned metal warehouse lights with wire cages, brightly colored air-conditioning ducts, ceiling fans, rusty corrugated metal awnings and low-voltage halogen accent lighting.
I looked into the community and observed how relationships are made and strengthened--people sitting at booths in restaurants, at large tables in a university library, in umbrella-covered patios outside a specialty coffee shop or in overstuffed chairs at a large bookstore.
I wanted to capture these little vignettes and incorporate them into a workplace environment, where employees would be drawn together and working relationships fostered.
With that in mind, I arranged an overstuffed sofa and leather chairs around a large, magazine-strewn coffee table on an area rug. There is a glass-topped patio table surrounded by six chairs under a 9-foot market umbrella, and a large library table complete with 10 chairs and green-glass table lamps. The assembly area, where appraisal reports are published, looks almost like a coffee bar. A popcorn cart provides snacks and a great atmosphere.
Though the office is truly designed with an eye to having a good time, our people work hard and most are on a pay-for-performance basis. This place definitely enhances the team spirit, which is important since we often have to pull together to meet important deadlines.
After we moved in, in April 1999, we found there were some unexpected ramifications to our new design.
The job market is tight, and good commercial and industrial appraisers are hard to get since they can choose from many alternatives, including firms much larger than ours. But we found that if we could bring them into our facility and show off our family atmosphere and the funky way we suited ourselves, they loved it. We want outgoing “people persons” who draw in the clients, as opposed to the stuffy, dowdy stereotype that most people have of appraisers.
These are the kinds of employees we’re able to hire now, often at pay packages that aren’t as attractive as what the national firms are offering.
For our clients, who are bankers working in a fiercely competitive industry, we are able to offer training to facilitate or enhance their skills and better enable them to score big in their marketplace. As they move up, they bring us along.
Last October, we hosted an hourlong presentation on marketing for business development at banks. We had an expert speaker start at 4 p.m., served light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and filled out the place with our clients. I still get thank-you letters from clients asking when the next one is scheduled.
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If your business can provide a lesson to other entrepreneurs, contact Karen E. Klein at the Los Angeles Times, 1333 S. Mayflower Ave., Suite 100, Monrovia, CA 91016 or at kklein6349@aol.com. Include your name, address and telephone number.
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At a Glance
* Company: Herron Cos.
* Owners: Steve Herron, Jeff Key, Chris Wade, Rod Shain
* Nature of business: Commercial and industrial real estate appraisal
* Location: 2929 Edinger Ave., Tustin, CA 92780
* Founded: 1984
* E-mail: rshain@herronco.com
* Employees: 30
* Annual revenue: $2.1 million
