Easy2 Technologies needed a new office.
The fast-growing company, which creates online demonstration and how-to tutorials for companies such as Lowe’s and Moen, was losing its old home in part of the Enterprise Development Incubator, which was closing.
The company needed a new space that met the needs of a growing staff and conveyed the right image to clients.
“We did spend a lot of time trying to figure out what would define the right space for us,” says John Bukovnik, president of Easy2. “We didn’t want to have to move again in a short time. We wanted to be there for five years minimum but be able to stay there for 10 if we wanted to.
“Moving is a headache. It is disrupting and time-consuming, and I didn’t want to have to do it again.”
Bukovnik wanted a space that fit the image of the company. It needed to excite the employees as well as clients.
“Employees spend the most amount of time here, and we felt like we had to be energizing and invigorating them,” says Bukovnik.
With an idea of what the company needed, the search began.
“We actually started looking on our own, because we figured there were enough listings on Web sites and such that we could hone in on what we were interested in,” says Bukovnik. “After less than a month of that, one of the places we were looking at was being shown by a broker who approached us and offered to help us find the right space.”
With the real estate search taking a growing amount of time away from his business, Bukovnik agreed. They looked at 30 to 40 sites before finding the right space in the Playhouse Square District.
“A key question for us was, ‘Where?'” says Bukovnik. “We looked at a whole bunch of buildings on Chagrin. We were hoping to find something in Midtown and looked in that area. We thought the Warehouse District would be cool because, as a young technology company, it would be a reflection on the type of image we wanted to portray.
“Playhouse Square wasn’t even on our radar screen. We didn’t think it was as accessible as it actually is. We thought of it as a lot of older buildings that were probably out of our price range.”
What they found was a flexible space in a trendy area that met the image needs, and a landlord who was willing to work with them.
“We found a landlord who, after learning about us, believed in our concept and our potential,” says Bukovnik. “He built out 7,000 square feet of floor space, of which we are occupying a little over 5,000. The rest of the floor is on hold for us to grow into, and there are still other floors in the building if we grow fast before they fill in.
“We can potentially have 10,000 square feet, provided we grow into it before the right of first refusal expires in five years.”
Bukovnik spent the better part of a month hashing out the lease.
“The wrong lease can make a good deal bad,” he says.
A floor plan was developed, and the crucial details, such as choosing a phone and network system and having them installed, were planned out.
With a new space in the making, clients were notified by their contacts at the company. A bulk e-mail was sent out and a notice was put in the company’s holiday cards as reminders.
Bukovnik is happy with the new space but glad the move is behind him.
“Don’t forget why you are in business throughout the midst of this,” he says.
How to reach: Easy2 Technologies, www.easy2.com
