In June of 2018, Austin, Texas-based technology company Accruent announced that it would expand to New Orleans, bringing with it a goal of hiring 350 employees over the span of two years. After operating out of a temporary space in the Warehouse district, the company, currently at 64 employees, relocated in August to its new space on the sixth floor at 400 Poydras Tower. With the help of Mapp Construction, CTA Architects—who designed Accruent’s Austin headquarters—and AOS—who provided the furnishings—Accruent has transformed the 20,000-square-foot office space into a bright, yet sophisticated workplace with a wealth of collaborative areas, New Orleans flavor and, most importantly, room to grow.
“My No. 1 goal is to create a place that allows everyone in our office to do their best possible work each day,” said Johnny Culpepper, director of New Orleans and strategic programs at Accruent. “Our design and space allow that to happen, but we reach these goals by building a foundation of trust, integrity, kaizen [the Japanese word for improvement], humility, winning attitude and not being afraid to fail.
Accruent’s Louisiana clients—which according to a June 2018 NOLA.com report number close to 50 — include Entergy Corp., LSU and Ochsner Health System. The company also counts Whole Foods, Starbucks and Verizon among its national clients and globally its reach numbers in the thousands.
“We work with over 10,000 customers across several different industries,” said Culpepper. “Our software helps our clients get the most value from their physical investments.”
As he strives to make more positions at the company available as quickly as possible, Culpepper keeps culture building at the forefront.
“We promote a positive work atmosphere by creating an environment that focuses on being humble, having a winning attitude and everyone having a hand in growing our winning culture together,” he said. “We encourage our employees to be courageous, inspiring, adaptable and to deliver results, which in turn creates a place where we can be successful together. In the next 12 months, our goals include continuing to build a great culture, hiring 75 additional employees and beginning phase two.”
Accruent’s new space reflects those objectives, while at the same time exhibiting a sense of place. Culpepper said the design team drew inspiration from the French Quarter for the design and color palette and added architectural elements familiar to the New Orleans area.
“When we discovered [CTA] had an office in New Orleans, we saw an opportunity to work locally with a group already deeply familiar with our culture, values and design philosophy,” he said. “We strive to build agile office environments that foster creativity, collaboration, communication and productivity among our employees: CTA has consistently aligned with that goal.”
Seating and collaboration areas, as well as meeting rooms, are tucked into spaces throughout the office, allowing for informal and formal gatherings, as well as space for breaks or a change of scenery. Height adjustable desks and sustainable LED lighting with dimmers also add to employee flexibility, comfort and productivity, Culpepper says. While the collaboration spaces in general rank high on Culpepper’s favorite aspects of the design, a specific space stands out for him.
“Our break room feels more like a French Quarter café,” he said. “A place that is inviting and warm, where you could have a cup of coffee or glass of wine—a place where you want to stay longer and enjoy the surroundings.”
When visitors enter Accruent’s offices, he said he hopes the biggest takeaways are the “wow” factor of the design and “the winning culture that we have at Accruent.”
At a Glance
Accruent
Co. Description
Technology company with an emphasis on physical resource management
Location
400 Poydras Tower
Date of Opening
December 2018 in temporary Warehouse District space; Aug. 19, 2019 in new offices in Poydras Tower
Size/square footage
20,000 square feet
Number of Employees
64
In Charge
Johnny Culpepper, director of New Orleans and strategic programs
