| January 31, 2008 |
 Printable version |
FatWallet headquarters: Workstage completes new benchmark in people-friendly, eco-sensitive buildings
Work hard, play hard: A high performance workplace
FatWallet’s new Workstage building: high-tech office or game hall? “Both,” says the online bargain-hunting pioneer Tim Storm.
Storm says the key to keeping his employees happy at work is to “treat people like it’s their home.”
And that’s just what the new 30,000-square-foot Rockton, IL headquarters does.
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FatWallet staffers can unwind in an arcade-style lobby with billiards, foosball, ping pong and pinball. They can quench any caffeine addiction in their mini-café stocked with candy dispensers, a soda fountain and a coffee/espresso machine.
“After a code-writing stint or a long meeting, employees can let loose, have a foosball tournament, grab a bite to eat or play a round of golf,” Storm says. “And when the mood strikes them, they can go back to the daily grind.” |
For FatWallet that means working in one of the healthiest, most energy efficient buildings in the region. The funky, high-tech workspace offers areas for teaming and private space for heads-down programming.
This work-hard, play-hard company has beaten the odds – thriving while other Internet companies evaporated in the dotcom explosion. From its garage business roots in 1999, Fat Wallet has grown to a multi-million dollar company.
Storm and his team built the FatWallet enterprise by helping his customers buy right. So, when it came time to build a new headquarters, he price shopped. Storm explained in a recent conversation to prospective Workstage client that “after a year of wasting time looking around for a better deal, I came back to Workstage and I am convinced I got the best deal I could find.”
A milestone in green building technology
Inspired by Steelcase’s environmental initiative to remove PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a known toxic material from its manufacturing process, the Workstage team decided to take up the challenge and set a new benchmark for environmental buildings. With support of Steelcase’s environmental team and its partner, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), the Workstage team set out on uncharted waters.
“PVC has negative effects on humans and the environment both during its manufacturing and disposal/recycling,” says Jay Bolus, VP of Technical Operations for MBDC. Steelcase and Workstage are not alone in this initiative – they are joined by other large manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Apple and big box retailers Target, Wal-mart and Sears who are taking significant steps to eliminate PVC from their products and packaging.
“PVC (poly-vinyl chloride) is the construction industry’s equivalent to sodium in food – it’s in everything and it can cause serious problems,” says Joseph Ditonto, director of design for Workstage. The material can be found in piping, siding, electrical components, flooring and windows, just to name a few.
Even though this goal exceeds LEED mandates, the team set out to remove as much PVC from this building as possible while adhering to Fat Wallet’s price sensitive budget.
In this first attempt, Workstage was able to complete the FatWallet headquarters on time and on budget as the nation’s only 99% PVC-free building.
Workstage’s design team spent countless hours researching PVC-free alternatives. “In the end, we were successful in finding substitute materials that were more environmentally friendly in their life cycle,” says Ditonto. “We have learned a lot on this project, allowing us to advance our own work and show the industry that it can be done.” |
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“This is a milestone accomplishment in the quest for healthier buildings and a healthier world,” Bolus explains. “The fact that this was accomplished without impacting the budget is a credit to some innovative thinking, and I am sure a lot of hard work.”
FatWallet moved into its new high performance workplace in December 2007 and celebrated its grand opening this January. |
