What Does an Office Environment Company Really Do?

A company like BE that talks about “Business Environments” is really doing things differently. Sure we provide the office furniture you need, but you can buy a chair from anyplace. Instead, our clients are really looking for the whole workplace concept . The complete understanding of who they are and how that translates into a kick-ass modern work environment that employees look forward to coming to. A business environment is a discussion that encompasses everything. We take care of every aspect of your office remodel, from demo and storage, to design and workflow, to choosing every item to furnish the space to create a truly unique place to work. Our aim is to make spaces where people actually want to go everyday; that attract talent, impress your clients, support your core teams, and give your company everything it needs to succeed. Rather than tell you how the process works from step A to Z, we’re gonna show you through one of our most recent, high-profile projects.

The Webull Project

Acquisition

With business booming during the COVID pandemic, Webull, a unique and forward-thinking investment company in New York City, needed to expand their operations to another floor as their business had grown so rapidly. The CEO of Webull awarded BE Furniture the opportunity to handle all aspects of the office concept, design, construction and fit-out.

The Space

Located in the heart of Wall Street in NYC, WeBull was looking for a concept to fill an 18,000 square foot space that would ultimately house over 100 employees.

The Vision

When you’re on the cutting edge of a new methodology in financial transactions, your office needs to be as progressive, modern and energetic as your business model. In initial meetings, it became clear that the Webull team had a good understanding of what they needed from their new workplace in terms of workflow, and technology, as well as style. They are a young, exciting company, doing something outside the box and a successful build-out would need to be fresh and inviting.

Sam Cheung, BE’s project manager for Webull notes, “They really had a vision of a modern office – not your traditional 90s cube farm. They’re a young company. They wanted to incorporate nature and color vs the industrial aesthetic of old Wall Street.”

What Webull didn’t have, is any idea of how to get their vision to a finished product. In this regard, Webull surrendered almost total control of the design, layout and construction process to the BE team.

Temporary Roadblocks

As with most construction and design projects, change is inevitable. Plans often have to be modified according to space constraints, or different solutions need to be thought up to address plumbing, electrical or data issues. Which is exactly what Sam and his team of contractors had to do in this commercial space in order to solve some data and electrical roadblocks. Fortunately, this is what BE does best: solve problems. Without compromising the integrity of the design, contractors were able to utilize trenching in order to improve the wiring of workstations within the main office area. The workstations now have multiple electrical outlets in more convenient locations for the employee, and are wired up with more efficient ethernet cables to optimize data usage.

“In the open area, we staged the workstations in the center of the room to maintain two aisle ways. So, every outlet had to come from a column or the floor, rather than a wall, which presents a unique set of requirements.” – Sam, BE Project Manager.

Office Design Transformations, Rethinking the Workspace

After COVID-19 kept people away from the office, it became clear that the way people work needed to change. Not only to address health and safety concerns, but also to help reengage employees with the workplace. With more people having enjoyed the benefits of working from home, there’s now more pressure put on companies to have office spaces that people actually want to go to. As a progressive organization, Webull understands the need for the reimagined workplace and was adamant about incorporating this concept into their new design plans through all avenues.

“COVID has changed how the workplace is perceived, so we are seeing new things as far as how people work, space planning, and furniture itself. And what we wanted to do [for Webull] was break away from the traditional private office design concepts.” – Sam, BE Project Manager.

Freedom to Push the Design Envelope

It’s a breath of fresh air when trust is built early on in a client-worker relationship, which is exactly what happened between Webull and the designated BE project management team. Webull confidently put their full trust in BE to design and furnish the space after their workflow, technology and aesthetic requirements were fully articulated and received. BE Project Designer, Nicole Rivers, was eager to harness all of her prior knowledge and industry connections into this project to really go the extra mile. Nicole went through BE’s entire breath of line and when she didn’t find what she believed Webull would love, she pursued other avenues. Rivers consulted with new manufacturers, and even helped design and execute new custom pieces in-house to ensure each space within the Webull office was the perfect marriage of a nature inspired, organic concept with industrial New York.

“This was a client who said, ‘You have free reign.’ Refreshing! So many companies want to stick with what they already have, or say, ‘It’s the way we’ve always done it, let’s just stick with this.’ Webull is a very open-minded company, they’re forward thinkers, so we were able to just do what we do best and think out of the box.” – Sam, BE Project Manager.

From Blank Slate to Feature-Filled Work Environment

When BE entered the space, it was a blank canvas – just an open slab, with drywall, a basic cafe and rooms, but no furniture or distinct design features whatsoever. From the first day of construction to the first operating office day, Sam oversaw all aspects from communicating with contractors about the electrical and data reconfiguration and overall floor plan to furniture design, selection, and installation. All while Nicole led the interior design aspects of the fit-out with very personal touches.

Here are just some of the features the BE team added that Webull (and their clients) can’t get enough of:

• Commissioned original artwork and full-length wall graphics designed in-house
  
  
• Hand-selected fine art for each private office
  
  
• Custom 20ft conference room table, shaped like a bowtie designed in-house
  
  
• Special conference system, including dual cameras and a sound system that can be accessed by touch screen software was custom-designed and installed in-house
  
  
• Acoustic panels in the form of an art installation to mitigate echo in the space, custom-designed and installed in-house
  
  
• Live green walls throughout the space designed and installed in-house.
  
  
• Gaming room/movie theater space with customizable RGB and theater lighting, mounted TV screens, sound systems and the latest gaming systems, including PS5 & Xbox5, where staff can unwind
  
  
• Height-adjustable, color matched workstations equipped with multiple outlets
  
  
  
  

“We created a custom, solid-surface conference table in a bowtie shape. You know, most conference tables are just rectangles – you don’t think about it. We really wanted to do something new. ” – Sam, BE Project Manager.

Making Your Workspace an Exciting, Exceptional Place to BE

Today’s forward-thinking organizations like Webull know that they have to give the best, to get the best. Their commercial space is one where you want to spend time in. Where there’s a sense of excitement when you walk through the door, and where you feel supported to give your all as a member of their team.

BE Furniture shares this vision for a work environment that is so much more than a space for typical, day-in and day-out office processes. BE Project Manager, Sam Cheung, and the rest of his team were proud to have played such a major part in demonstrating what a business environment company can really achieve when given the opportunity.

“Everything was really positive with them (Webull), when we were talking one-on-one recently they told me they had some clients come in and say ‘Wow! This is a cool space, it’s very different.’ Because it’s not just a place where you come in, put your nose to the grindstone for 8 hours, 9 hours, and go home. It’s a place where you can work in a great environment with your coworkers, take breaks, experience other things and then go back to work feeling like, ‘Ah, alright, back to work!’ instead of, “Ugh great, back to work.” – Sam, BE Project Manager.

For a timelapse of this project, check out our video: Webull Office Fitout

Want your space to be our next project? Let’s get in touch. For more information about how we can create a modern work environment for your team, please visit our website at: https://www.befurniture.com/

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