EAST LANSING, Mich. — As BIGGBY® COFFEE launches into 2019, they’re doing so in a brand-new office space. The conscious company had a goal of creating an office space that is more inviting, open, and reflective of a company that is growing at an exponential rate, and they’ve done just that.
The new BIGGBY® COFFEE office space is trendy, comfortable, and echoes the fun, unintimidating, successful coffee shops throughout much of Michigan and growing throughout the nation at an aggressive rate. Co-CEOs Bob Fish and Mike McFall have built an organization that encourages their Home Office employees, baristas, owner/operators, and community members to build lives they love. Through this office redesign they were able to do just that by hiring one of their own Home Office employees to design and conduct the build-out of the new space that will house the 60+ Home Office employees.
Jessica Martin took her passion for design and in between working full time as BIGGBY® COFFEE’s Senior Real Estate Specialist she created an event and interior decoration business called Peetie Bird Vintage. This allowed her the opportunity to build a business based on creativity and her passions, while having the security of a successful career with BIGGBY® COFFEE. When Fish and McFall approached her about designing a new open office concept for their approximately 13,000 square-foot Home Office it truly felt like she made it—the decision she made to move from Marquette to the Lansing area was the right one.
Fish and McFall have been hard at work creating a conscious company—a business that believes they can do good for its employees, the environment, and its shareholders all at the same time. With this, they strive to help support everyone—BIGGBY® COFFEE employees and community members alike—in living life with purpose and going after their dreams. Martin is a shining example that Fish and McFall are putting their money where their mouths are.
“It was clear to us that [design] was a passion of [Jessica’s] and it just felt right to fulfill her passion,” Fish said. “We felt great about giving her that experience,” McFall added.
As the reality of the project settled in, Martin had only one vision for the BIGGBY® COFFEE Home Office. She pictured an atomic theme—a cross between retro and space, a theme the company is embracing as they takeoff into accomplishing the big goals they’ve set for themselves for the next 10 years. With the idea in mind, she presented a budget then design—all of which BIGGBY® COFFEE leadership glowingly approved.
Martin explained that while she focused on creating an inspiring and collaborative work environment, the whole project was largely about people—not just Home Office employees, but by getting the opportunity to fulfill her dreams while using various small businesses and helping everyone involved build lives they love. The small businesses she worked with weren’t just selling her material items, Martin said, but they are people that she—and thusly BIGGBY® COFFEE—supported in building a life they love. Through Fish and McFall taking a chance on her, she was able to take a chance on these small business owners and help build them and their communities up, accomplishing the BIGGBY® COFFEE purpose of helping to support people in building lives they love.
As Martin worked with various small businesses within Michigan, she had the opportunity to share with some of them the BIGGBY® COFFEE purpose to help support people in building lives they love. As they reflected on this purpose, many of the small business owners Martin worked with were amazed that a corporation would actively strive to help build people up.
Martin made a concerted effort to keep things local or Michigan-based, all the way from Lansing to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With a purpose that BIGGBY® COFFEE exists to help support people in building a life they love, Martin thought the best way to show BIGGBY® COFFEE’s love of the community by keeping dollars local and helping small businesses owners go after what they love to do.
That included some of Martin’s favorite finds, art pieces from a former Michigan State University art professor’s estate sale, not only the alma mater of Fish but a huge part of the community BIGGBY® COFFEE lives in. Martin also hired local businesses to create main office items like the honeycomb tables that were hand-crafted and built specifically for the BIGGBY® COFFEE Home Office space by a local Lansing, Michigan, artist, Mickey Fink.
Along with working with these small businesses, Martin made a determined effort to use the talents of her co-workers, helping them to build lives they love—just like the opportunity she received from Fish and McFall. One employee created framed prints around the office, a yarn hanging, and wooden frames that act as a main focal point and wall divider; while another made blankets that sit in the lounge areas of the office, giving off a warm and inviting feeling; and other employees did electrical work and more.
Martin also used this opportunity to emphasize the company’s environmental efforts by reusing and repurposing materials. The office space has approximately 171 repurposed and reused items.
Martin sourced not only from local businesses, but from a number of charitable organizations within the Greater Lansing and Marquette areas: Volunteers of America, the Salvation Army, City Rescue Mission, Silver Creek Thrift, and St. Vincent De Paul.
Another small business Martin invested in was Janine’s Boutique, a small boutique in Grand Ledge, Mich., owned by Janine Lee. Lee reupholstered three chairs in the office space. When Lee came to visit the Home Office, she thought it was amazing to see so many reused and repurposed materials in the office.
Some of these repurposed items include mismatched thrifted conference chairs and couches; vintage lamps and lighting; and repurposed cardboard to make dog houses for the Doggie Den, a space important to this dog-friendly workplace where BIGGBY® COFFEE employees can bring their dogs to work with them.
The BIGGBY® COFFEE Home Office celebrated the new office space with mimosas and a homestyle breakfast. The Home Office employees took an entire morning to tour their new office and celebrate the accomplishments of Martin.
As BIGGBY® COFFEE starts the new year in their new office space, they are ready to do big things within the communities they live and throughout the world. As they continue to help support people in building lives they love, BIGGBY® COFFEE is readier than ever to make friends, have fun, and share great coffee.
