Hold on to your hats—Ervin & Smith is moving to a new location in Aksarben Village! While we’ve loved every minute that we’ve called our current Lakeside location home, we’re excited to look toward the future with a new space full of possibilities for our employees, clients and the Omaha community.
To get a few more details on the whats, hows and whys, we sat down with Heidi Mausbach, CEO, to get her take on the upcoming move.
E&S: So this is certainly exciting news, but we have to start with asking: Why the move? Why is this important to the agency?
Heidi: Our goal is to create a physical space that encourages fun, collaboration and positive impact. The move is going to allow us to enhance the lives of our employees by offering amenities that fit their lifestyles. Aside from our own space, we will have a coffee shop, craft cocktail bar, yoga studio, gym, running trails, fun community events and green spaces right outside our door!
E&S: Sounds like a great plan for employees. And how will the relocation enable Ervin & Smith to better serve clients?
Heidi: With a location in central Omaha, it will make it easier for clients to physically come in to work on-site and collaborate with our teams. We know that sometimes getting out of your space can help teams feel more creative and less distracted. That’s why we’re allocating space for clients to use for visioning and strategic planning, as well as facilities for off-site training programs facilitated by Ervin & Smith.
E&S: So thinking back a bit, why did you choose this specific location in Aksarben in the first place?
Heidi: It’s a first-generation space that is centrally located in a highly coveted area of Omaha. Also, healthy lifestyles and community involvement (farmers market, music festivals, runs, etc.) are important to our agency. This location provides both.
E&S: First-generation … so it’s a completely blank slate. Tell me about the process for designing the new space.
Heidi: We create work that works—for our clients and employees. We want to challenge the way people work but at the same time create a space that accommodates how people really work. The space will offer a flexible design so we can continue to change and adapt as our business evolves. Our space will provide a variety of work solutions to promote individual productivity, cross-pollination and collaboration, including an open environment, private spaces, community collaboration areas, impromptu meeting spaces, natural light and more.
E&S: It seems like you’ve put a lot of thought into this. In the big picture, how does the physical space of Ervin & Smith contribute to creativity and innovation?
Heidi: We are creating a flexible design so people can use the space for many purposes, which will encourage people to work and interact in different ways. The physical space will allow people to collaborate, think, play and socialize.
As the world continues to go digital, we want to keep the human side of the business. The human interaction, engagement and collaboration are important as we work to solve the needs of people.
E&S: This is all very future-thinking. Can you tell us more about the vision for the agency?
Heidi: Of course. Our vision is to continue to solve business, brand and marketing problems in creative ways and support our Best Places to Work culture so that we can attract and retain the best people.
I’m most excited about having a space that will encourage collaboration and growth. We believe good ideas don’t just come from us—agency people. The space is going to allow us to connect with others in the community who challenge and inspire us. We will be able to problem solve with people who have diverse backgrounds and skill sets and ultimately have a positive impact for our clients, our business and the community.