On Monday, July 23, the firm's Raleigh office will occupy a new 33,000 square-foot floor at 751 Corporate Center Drive. The new space is less than two miles away from the old building.
The reason for the relocation is simple, according to Mike Epperson, the firm's Chief Operating Officer. The Raleigh office needs more room.
"We've had growing pains for a while now. Our old building has 27 attorney offices. The new space nearly doubles that number," Epperson declared. "We look forward to all the new opportunities this space will offer." He noted, "Those benefits are not limited to our Raleigh employees. We'll have excellent conference space, and good options for those who visit from our other locations. The additional room also means we can expand our workforce—providing more employment opportunities and ultimately more services to our clients."
[Ed. Note: Enjoy our construction pics, more to come of the finished space!]
The new modern space features offices of the same size throughout, floor-to-ceiling windows, skylights, and roof monitors to allow for more natural light. Light gray walls and pops of bright colors, combined with the use of stone, metal, and wood accents evoke a tech company vibe, which is fitting given all of the video conference and "work anywhere" technology incorporated into the new space. Each corner of the office carries a theme that's a tribute to the firm's four other locations: Asheville, Greenville, New Bern, and Wilmington.
Epperson says his goal was to create a collaborative and flexible office environment. Although he was instrumental in designing the new space, he remarked, "all of our partners were exceptional, and we couldn't have done this without them."
Epperson worked with the team from Alliance Architecture and Highwood Properties. J.D. Beam, Inc. is the project contractor. Newmark Knight Frank served as the real estate broker.
"This office was built in such a way where metaphorically people can feel more connected and still have doors to aid concentration and ensure client privacy," Epperson explained.
This sense of connectedness is achieved through several different methods, including using glass doors instead of solid wood ones, having an expandable café to accommodate larger work events and functions, and adding more rooms for meetups and conferences.
"We wanted our new office to be a reflection of the people who make our company work, full of character and personality," said Epperson. "The feedback so far has been incredible. I think the team knocked it right out of the park."
Ward and Smith will be moving into its new Raleigh location starting July 20. There will be no disruption in services to clients. The new space officially opens for business Monday, July 23.
The new office address is:
751 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 300
Raleigh, NC 27607
