Cramer-Krasselt, a Chicago-based advertising agency, recently moved its Milwaukee office from 733 N. Van Buren St. in downtown Milwaukee to its new home at 246 E. Chicago St. in the Historic Third Ward.
Cramer-Krasselt is occupying almost 50,000 square feet of office space on the second and third floors of the Third Ward building. The company has about 160 employees in its Milwaukee office.
“We outgrew our space, not in terms of square footage, but in usability,” said Betsy Brown, executive vice president and general manager of the Milwaukee office. “Being on three floors with a walled-in, closed-office floor plan was not conducive to integration and collaboration. And there was a corporate feel to our space that was out of synch with our culture as a free-thinking, self-expressive agency. In the end, the Third Ward’s decidedly young and vibrant feel really attracted us to it.”
The new space, designed by Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater, was designed with a more open feel, with extensive use of natural light and several large common areas.
“Everyone loves the skylights, the work stations are positioned below them, and the big, open environment,” Brown said. “We also appreciated the re-use of materials, like the wood flooring being recycled as an unexpected wall covering.”
Cramer-Krasselt’s new offices include a new café, a lounge for employees and several other areas where employees can collaborate, blow off steam or entertain clients.
“The café will be a big hit,” Brown said. “There’s a new media lab for our art directors where they’ll be able to work and present their work to clients. We have a play room with Xbox and foosball.”
The space also includes “teaming” rooms, where groups of employees can gather for a quick meeting, brainstorming or problem-solving session, Brown said.
Ultimately, Cramer-Krasselt believes the new space will help it deliver high-level customer service to clients, Brown said.
“We’ll no longer feel like isolated departments and instead be able to work in unison,” she said. “It’s a more exciting space to host client meetings, a plus for our new business efforts. It creates excitement and enthusiasm and that, combined with our new business wins, puts us in a good frame of mind to create great work for our clients.”
