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BUSINESS NEWS WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES EXPERIENCE CENTER EAST IN GEORGIA Ware Malcomb , an award-winning international design firm, announced construction is complete on Toyota Financial Services Experience Center East, a dealer service center located at 11625 Rainwater Drive, Alpharetta, Georgia 30091. Ware Malcomb provided the workplace strategy, interior architecture and branding design services for the 55,670-square-foot project. TFS has consolidated 29 office locations into three regional experience centers: East, Central, and West. Ware Malcomb also led the design for TFSWest, located in Chandler, Arizona, earlier in 2021. For both locations, the aesthetics needed to reflect the natural professionalism of Toyota’s brand yet align with a regional design expression. TFS helps millions of Toyota customers drive the vehicle of their dreams with flexible financing and leasing, voluntary protection products, and well-rounded auto insurance offerings. Toyota Financial Services East was designed to enhance the company culture and support both employee and
business objectives. Thoughtful space planning, natural daylighting and views throughout the office, and sophisticated lighting solutions were incorporated into the design. Creating a connection between people and nature – known as biophilic design – was imperative. A green biophilia wall covers 28 percent of the first-floor lobby wall, and two 18-foot-long biophilia walls, comprised of 70% wood pieces and 30 percent greenery, are found on the second and third floors. Preserved moss on accent walls are visible across all floors, and a series of five nature-inspired art pieces are located throughout the office space in high-visibility areas. Ware Malcomb’s in-house branding team designed a branded environment, signage and custom graphics with the main design objective to increase interconnectivity between floors to enhance collaboration. An open, sculptural staircase crafted of sustainable materials serves as the main connection between the levels. Each floor has a dedicated color scheme that gives identity to each team and is uniquely designed according to the necessities of the end users. The biophilic design was merged within the branded environment to foster positive
emotions, mental restoration, visual comfort, creativity and productivity, stress reduction and overall well-being. “Toyota has always been at the forefront of innovation,” said Mary Cheval, Principal, Ware Malcomb. “The guiding principles that came out of our visioning sessions helped us evolve their existing workplace into an engaging, dynamic and flexible environment. These new regional hubs will allow TFS to provide an elevated customer and employee experience for years to come.” Ware Malcomb worked closely with TFS and Verde, the sustainability consultant, to carefully select new, innovative, and sustainable materials that reduce the concentration of chemical contaminants and improve air quality and human health. By partnering with Verde, TFS diverted 10 material streams and at least 60 percent of construction waste from landfill by recovering, reusing, or recycling materials, and the project achieved a LEED v4 ID+C: Commercial Interiors certification. Ware Malcomb’s history with the Toyota and Lexus companies spans more than 20 years with over 100 projects completed.
4. Empower – really. There will be failures, but that is OK. By empowering staff to see through their ideas for optimization or innovation, the best ideas will surface. And when they do, they will be backed by the motivation and passion that comes from unbound imagination. Who better to sell your new internal process? They will perform better at achieving high uptake than someone who has not bought into a process but instead was assigned to be a “superuser” on a rollout team. 5. Align your brand, vision, and culture. Misalignment between these is more common than not, but aligning them will deliver passion, motivation, and organic growth. Our industry’s best leaders and brightest rising stars wake up each morning and go to work knowing they are part of something bigger than themselves and are willing to work hard to meet the goals of their company. If you want to attract these types of people, don’t overlook these three core elements of your company. The battle for these purple unicorns will only intensify as other industries continue to soak up the best STEM students. Those firms that actively work to attract these employees will be best positioned to grow and prosper. Ryan Gallagher, P.E., is a principal at MKN Associates. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
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generation (born 1980 to 1995) which means they may work or use technology differently. Embrace these differences, let go of control, and dictate goals without mandating means and methods. Let them be guided by your experience not ruled by it. In these conditions, your purple unicorns will flourish, and they will attract others to join the herd. 2. Look like them. Who is creating your recruitment content? Who is designing your website? If it doesn’t include these groups, get them involved. I sometimes imagine other companies with a group of experienced senior executives around a table talking about how their recruitment material should look, how their website should appear, or the type of individual they are looking for – and then wondering why the other firms keep attracting all the best up and coming leaders. 3. Quality returns quality. Emphasize hiring good people and then trust them. Let the processes be guiding principles not steadfast rules. Innovation comes when need meets determination. Those determined to deliver better efficiency, better quality, or better anything will find ways to move obstacles. Fight the urge to create new forms or use the words, “That’s how it’s always been done.”
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THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 3, 2022, ISSUE 1422
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