MCPc’s Move for the Future – Relocating our Headquarters
Posted on Wed, Dec 29, 2010 @ 03:44 PM
After several years of extensive searching, numerous building tours, and countless meetings with public officials, real estate brokers and architects, it’s official: MCPc is moving to downtown Cleveland. As of Dec. 22, 2010, we signed our lease with the Plain Dealer Publishing Company. This summer, we will relocate our corporate headquarters to the 1801 Superior Building, a state-of-the-art facility almost tailor-made for our organization.
A Long & Tedious Process
To begin our search, we enlisted David Hildebrandt, MCPc’s Corporate Counsel and contract and negotiations expert, to secure a real estate broker and begin looking at properties.
We also hired an architect who helped us detail the specific needs for the new space by analyzing our current state and projecting out our square footage needs over the next five years. With this information, the real estate broker was able to present only properties that met our criteria.
In addition, building developers who became aware of our search contacted us with recommendations, which led to additional physical tours.
Ironically, the 1801 Superior building didn’t initially make the list of acceptable properties as it only listed its office space square footage. It wasn’t until a broker referral indicated there was potential for our technology center to be built out in a portion of the parking garage that we contacted the Plain Dealer. Now, months later, our selection has been made and I couldn’t be happier with our decision.
I’d like to applaud the City of Cleveland officials — including our mayor Frank Jackson, his office, Cleveland City Council and the Economic Development team — who were committed to our project and worked hard to help bring our dreams to fruition.
Our New Neighborhood
The 1801 Superior Building is located in The Superior Corridor, one of Cleveland’s newest revitalized neighborhoods. Renovated buildings, loft condominiums, casual restaurants and numerous artist studios occupy this downtown area.
We’ll be in close proximity to Cuyahoga Community College and in walking distance to Cleveland State University, offering convenience and flexibility to staff members wishing to continue their educational aspirations. Plus, our new location is just a few blocks from Playhouse Square, one of the country’s largest theatre districts — second only to Broadway itself.
Our new office is also a stone’s throw from the new Medical Mart, whose ground breaking is in a few short weeks. And, we're only a bus ride away — along the newly finished Euclid corridor — to the world-class medical facilities in the University Circle area, as well as Case Western Reserve University. This positioning will be ideal, as we will soon start moving on some big plans for healthcare technology in 2011.
We look forward to the enhanced opportunities to recruit new interns and employees through the above-mentioned schools, as well as John Carroll University and STEM High School.
Benefits of the Move
With convenient access to the inner-belt highway, the 1801 Superior Building is easily accessible, improving overall collaboration with our employees and clients. Our employees will benefit from free parking and an on-site cafeteria complete with chef that’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, the facility features 24x7x365 security, helping to ensure that our expanded office, lab and warehouse remain safe and secure at all times.
Our future office and meeting-room space will double to approximately 45,000 square feet, with an additional 50,000 square feet for our technology and distribution center. With consistent growth that has required the addition of new engineering, project management, sales and support positions, we have long outgrown our current Strongsville, Ohio headquarters. This new facility helps ensure scalability for the future.
Building Design and Layout
MCPc will occupy the entire third floor of the 1801 Superior Building, which is currently the headquarters of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio’s largest newspaper. The Plain Dealer will continue to occupy the first, second and fourth floors, and have been very welcoming to our organization.
Since MCPc first signed the letter of intent on June 2, 2010, several focus groups have been working on design elements, specifically the office layout, Customer Experience Center, Technology Center and lobby design. The building was constructed approximately 10 years ago, and MCPc is working with the original architect to ensure that design and delivery goals are met, but also that the integrity of the building design is preserved.
We are repurposing what was once the dispatch center for the Cleveland Plain Dealer into our Technology Center. Our own internal staff is leading the technology and space requirements while leaning on the architectural firm’s expertise to meet these needs.
The second floor of the 1801 Superior Building includes a state-of-the-art conference center and multiple meeting rooms, enabling us to hold small- and large-scale customer events. In addition, the construction of 10 additional meeting rooms, complete with telepresence and video conferencing, will be built on the third floor. Quiet work spaces, as well as casual gathering areas, will complement our facility, giving our employees and customers various work environments for creative thinking and collaboration.
Customer Experience Center
In an effort to truly provide our customers all over the country with access to the technologies that will impact their businesses and their bottom lines, we’re creating a 4,000-square foot Customer Experience Center. Here, customers can touch, test, research and evaluate new technologies prior to purchasing them – a significant offering for our customers and a unique facility in northeast Ohio.
More Than a New Address
Our move is so much more than just a physical relocation of our headquarters. As CEO, my long-term vision for MCPc has been to support the growth and revitalization of Northeast Ohio. Our recent collaboration with the City of Cleveland, The Greater Cleveland Partnership and the State of Ohio is just the beginning of our commitment to this vision.
MCPc is bringing more than 175 technology, management and administrative jobs to downtown Cleveland. Discussions have already begun with various science and technology programs within the city in order to enhance the educational experience of our high school and college students. And, the centralized location will enable our management team to be more involved in technology organizations throughout the area.
It is clear that great opportunities lie ahead for MCPc, and I am tremendously proud of the talent we’ve assembled to help us achieve them.
What do you want to see from us with our new location? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Michael Trebilcock, MCPc chairman chief executive officer, and leader in the IT industry, has more than 25 years of sales and management experience in many entrepreneurial roles. MCPc is driven by Mr. Trebilcock’s values, vision and leadership in setting the standard of excellence for our customers.