Last month, I met up with the #VZWBuzz Midwest team for a trip to Chicago, which included an exclusive tour of the new Motorola headquarters in downtown Chicago. It is the largest tenant in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart by occupying the top four floors and the rooftop of the building. This is also a call back to the roots of the company as they started as Galvin Manufacturing almost 90 years ago in this very building.
The new 600,000 square foot space houses nearly 2,000 employees. This sounds large but they actually downsized from over 1,000,000 square foot in their Liberty location. However, they utilize every inch of the space effectively and by housing their headquarters in such a hip, urban space, Motorola is gearing to attract and retain the best and brightest in the technology fields.
This is no ordinary workplace, folks. First thing you will notice when you get off the elevator is the BLING…
For parts of the tour, we were asked to not take photos due to the sensitivity of the research and development at the facility. {Insert Blogger Freak Out.} No, seriously, bloggers were freaking out. When it was learned the reception area was not a off limits area, it was like bloggers go wild in the reception area. Oh, there’s an apple. {click} A coffee machine – EEEEEKKKK. {click} You think I’m joking? This is exactly how it played out. Oh and me in a chair. {click}
We bloggers are an easily amused group. But really, see that wood on the walls in the background. The beautiful reclaimed wood is part of the Motorola Green Initiative.
While on the tour, I saw some really cool modern pieces of art and furniture. Cool chairs. {click}
This incredible stairway…
There was also snacks and drinks galore for the employees around every corner. Each of these spaces is unique with a different theme. Keeping the kitchen stocked keeps at least three employees busy!
Working on a computer most of the day, I understand the need for a break from the screen. To help employees with this, Motorola has a game room of sorts, where employees can play games, watch the games, etc. It is apparently a very busy and happening spot during the lunch hour.
Motorola looks like a pretty cool place to work. Though, the majority of the work force looked to be men, so that may be the only the thing this awesome work place is missing.
Beyond the tour, we learned about some of the new products that Motorola will be launching in the future. There were plenty of oohs and ahhs when they showed the new Droid 360 smart watch that will be launching soon. It also has a really cool sleek watch look instead of the clunky look of the one I currently own {see chair picture above}.
Some new things I learned about the new Droid:
- Nano coating on Droid helps protect against water damage
- Has a two day mixed battery life
- Droid only brand offering touchless control with a low power chip that is just listening for your voice. This would be useful when cooking and using your device as a cookbook!
- Get Zapped app allows you to share photos with friends in one swipe on the Droid.
Gifts? We love gifts especially tech gifts. Motorola sees beyond just the tech. We also need ways to keep our tech powered on the go. The Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000, which Motorola surprised us with at the conclusion of the tour, delivers up to two full charges. Yippeeee!! This will be accompanying me on all my travels.
Wouldn’t you love to be eating your lunch with this view every day?
Disclosure: As member of a pretty cool team of influencers, I received the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with line of service from Verizon. No additional compensation was provided nor did I promise positive feedback. All opinions are my own. Learn more on how I disclose on my Disclosure Policy page.