After 17 years in Arlington, the Women’s Business Council – Southwest has relocated its headquarters to the Las Colinas area of Irving. The nonprofit, which certifies and promotes business that are majority owned, operated, and controlled by women, announced the plan to move headquarters in October of last year.
The WBCS opened their first office in 1995 inside the Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development (now the Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro College) in and moved to Arlington in 2000. When the council reviewed its lease in late 2017, a change of scenery seemed to be the best course of action. “We were in a place where it was time for additional space and a configuration that met our organizational needs a little better,” said Debbie Hurst, president of the WBCS.
Late last year, WBCS facilitated the move into its new office in the MacArthur Center II building with some help from a few of council’s certified women-owned businesses: Business Interiors got the bid for furnishing the space and donated a conference table, Solender/Hall represented the WBCS in the real estate deal, and lauckgroup took the lead on designing the interior of the 4,200 square foot space.
Lauckgroup’s design features modern flair mixed with traditional office aesthetics. A wood-paneling element graces the office’s entryway, frames a timeline of the WBCS, and continues down the hall to the main conference room. The conference room itself is an upgrade from the previous WBCS facilities, which were too small to use as meeting spaces for council constituents.
Modern touches continue throughout the office. Exposed concrete columns and glass private-office entryways shake up its previous office appearance. The concrete pillars still bear markings from the original construction, while the usual doors and walls of private offices have been exchanged for floor-to-ceiling glass panels and open entryways.
The new office space rectifies a lack of sufficient break spaces for employees at the old Arlington location. WBCS staff, who formerly ate at their desks out of necessity in the previous office, now enjoy an expanded break room detailed with a geometric-tile backsplash.
“Overall, the design supports positive energy and great workplace principles,” said Anne Kniffen, Managing Principal at lauckgroup. “We are grateful that we were able to help create a nice home that the WBCS staff and members can be proud of and enjoy for years to come.”
Flip through the gallery below for a look at the new office.
