When you walk into the offices of ImageNet Consulting in downtown Oklahoma City, you catch the first subtle hint of their strategy. What is largely a typical showroom adorned with various print solutions cordoned off by manufacturer is accented by a nice artistic touch: the center column in the room is decorated with stacks of printer paper with intermittent gaps that allow light to filter through.
It’s a small creative accent that incorporates the spirit of the document imaging industry in a pleasant way that makes you say, “Oh, that’s thoughtful.”
In reality, that initial impression is just the tip of the iceberg. The further into the ImageNet facility you go, the more you see they believe in imbuing the spirit of printing into the very walls themselves.
Harkening back to its comparatively un-technological origins as a typewriter company in 1956, the second floor plays host to a small typewriter museum of sorts, placed as the first thing you see when you exit the elevators. Small pedestals made of printer paper and other anachronistic typewriters dot the halls as you move through the office as well. One employee section has the company motto emblazoned on the wall, while another two sections are designed as “mirror images” to each other to pay tribute to the role that glass plays in imaging.
This article could continue for pages in description, but surely the point has been made: ImageNet has designed its office to be the living embodiment of a company that serves the printer industry. It’s a holistic philosophy that truly leaves its mark on the first-time visitor.
And it’s not just the Oklahoma City office — the same emphasis on design is placed at all of ImageNet’s locations. If you don’t believe me, a small bit of Googling will reveal to you that their Dallas office actually won an award from Interior Design magazine, with its use of toner cartridges to build walls, old printers as light fixtures — and the list goes on.
At this point, you may be asking “…but why?” What is the benefit of placing such an emphasis on design — especially at great cost — that you win awards for it? The answer from ImageNet is two-fold.
First, the obvious: Putting so much heart into the soul of your building and workspace is an excellent way to attract the best talent…and keep them. It’s so much better for employee morale when they love not only their job, but the space they do it in.
Second, and possibly more importantly: It’s an amazing sales tool. As much as I was wowed by the premises, you can bet potential customers will be too. It really drives home that mission of ImageNet, and puts the potential customer in an environment where they can physically feel the company’s commitment to the industry. Plus, all the buzz about the design attracts attention (and therefore more potential business).
Upon opening the Dallas location, ImageNet’s Avant-garde approach caused people to literally stop by and “peer into the windows” according to the company’s President Pat Russell. He claims that it’s a win-win situation. You get a better environment for your employees, while attracting enough new business to pay for itself, and then some.
Perhaps it’s time to take a look at some interior decorating?
Bob Alaburda, Editor
