Upper Hand HQ Wins Best in Show Award for Innovative Tech Space

The J.F. Wild Building’s Upper Hand, Inc. headquarters was named “Best in Show” for Jones Lang LaSalle’s (JLL) Best Spaces in Indiana 2019 competition. Spaces Indiana presented four awards at the annual event that celebrates companies for their support of a workspace design that is unique, innovative, reflects the company’s brand, engages the employee base, and enhances productivity.

Earlier this year, Upper Hand relocated its headquarters as part of the company’s strategy to accommodate for current and long-term sustainable growth. Located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, the updated space provides the company with more than 5,000 square feet of office space that better meets the demands of its expanding and collaborative workforce. In addition to $200,000 worth of design upgrades, Upper Hand’s state-of-the-art headquarters features custom wall art of legendary professional athletes.

“We are honored to be recognized amongst an outstanding group of Hoosier companies who share the desire to better support our employees,” said Kevin MacCauley, CEO and founder of Upper Hand.

We specifically designed our space to inspire our growing team of innovators while celebrating Upper Hand’s passion for sports and fitness. Overall, we are incredibly pleased with how the space has impacted our team and driven tremendous results, including the introduction of new fitness features we are gearing up to launch this month.

This “Best in Show” recognition is added to a long list of accolades received by Upper Hand and its executive team. Last year, Upper Hand was named the “Best Tech Company” as part of the new and exciting competition conducted by the Indianapolis Star, and chosen as the 2017 Mira Award People’s Choice winner for best tech space. Additionally, MacCauley was named to the Coach and Athletic Director’s inaugural 40 Under 40 List for his groundbreaking work in the sports industry.

The winners of the JLL’s Best Spaces in Indiana 2019 competition were recognized at a reception on Tuesday, October 1 at Tinker House.

Key Facts

J.F. Wild Building
129 E. Market Street, Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Square Footage: 5,000
Employee Count: 25
Year of Buildout: 2019

Vendor Facts

General Contractor: Loftus Robinson Construction
Architect / Interiors: Schott Design
Furniture: OfficeWorks

Q & A

HOW DOES YOUR SPACE DRIVE PRODUCTIVITY, COLLABORATION AND CONNECTIVITY?
The new headquarters, located at 129 E. Market St. in the J.F. Wild Building in Indianapolis, provides our company with more than 5,000 square feet of office space that better meets the demands of our growing and collaborative workforce. The new space includes $250,000 worth of design upgrades that all serve as tools to drive productivity and encourage collaboration, including standing desks, conferences rooms with brand new televisions, white boards and more. Additionally, located in the heart of downtown, our headquarters is centrally located for employees and provides easy access to amenities that attract new talent while retaining team members.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT IS UNFORGETTABLE WHEN SOMEONE WALKS THROUGH YOUR SPACE?
When walking into the newly renovated Upper Hand headquarters, one thing you will never forget is the tremendous energy that resonates throughout the entire office due to our open-concept space. From our design department to customer service to our product development squad, every team member contributes immensely to our overall energy that flows throughout our office and serves as our fuel to generate results and inspire creativity.

HOW DOES YOUR SPACE TELL YOUR COMPANY’S STORY AND REFLECT ITS BRAND?
At Upper Hand, our everyday efforts and overall brand, including our logo, are centered around our love and passion for sports and innovation. Therefore, we integrated custom wall art of legendary professional athletes designed by our own team members throughout the office to help inspire everyone, as well as remind us what we’re working to facilitate amongst the businesses we work with every day.

In addition, our brand prides itself on providing unbeatable customer service. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities, we are now better equipped to assist our customers and their clients on a consistent basis to expertly model complex and idiosyncratic workflows to solve problems and scale future growth.

HOW DOES YOUR SPACE ENGAGE YOUR EMPLOYEE BASE?
As our work environments continue to evolve, we found it increasingly more important to offer our employees a multifaceted and dynamic space that pulls triple duty, including establishing a structure for the day-to-day workflow, defining the personality and culture of Upper Hand, while creating a creative, comfortable “home away from home” for team members. By incorporating these three factors into the design of our new headquarters, we’ve managed to foster a collaborative, engaging environment on a daily basis.

More specifically, we offer standing desks to promote health and wellness, conference rooms for solitary efforts and quiet pursuits in addition to dedicated casual spaces for collaborative efforts, networking, brainstorming, meetings and presentations, and lastly, we invested in top-of-the-line technology and tools to simplify everyday efforts. By adopting this structure and integrating new resources, we have reaped the benefits of a more productive, engaged and motivated workforce.