By Jenna Adrian-Diaz
JDA Software, a world leader in supply chain tech, needed a new office that would make a proper first impression. Tom Mulherin, VP of business administrative services, and his team had a vision to transform their Scottsdale, Arizona, headquarters into a high-tech, high-function client experience center, which they decided to call “JDX.” Mulherin told the team he wanted it to “be like a spaceship.” That dream proved to be a bit more complicated than initially anticipated.
“We started looking at what was out there to solve our unique design challenges,” said Mulherin. “And that’s what brought us to DIRTT.”
The first challenge concerned a client presentation calendar that depended on a reliable wall display. Hanging monitors on drywall with hardwired power wouldn’t cut it. “In the technology space, it’s always a race to come out with the next big thing,” says Tom. “We have a lot of very talented people in the company who come up with new products all the time—we needed a space where we’d be able to showcase the technological lead we have over our competition.”
Because the speed at which technology advances and becomes out-of-date is impressive, DIRTT is designed and engineered to integrate and adapt to any current, legacy, and future technologies. “A lot of times, people sell you something and they say it’s plug and play, but it’s not.” says Mulherin. Having built with DIRTT, JDA will be able to cleanly and quickly make the necessary upgrades and finish without disrupting business as usual at JDX.
The power and data in the new JDX is easily accessible and adaptable, too. The floor below the new JDA headquarters is home to a trendy retail store with high tenant improvement costs, so JDA wasn’t approved to core for their cabling needs. With conventional construction, this would have been an issue, but DIRTT’s low-profile access floor was the perfect solution. It also wouldn’t affect ceiling heights or the feel of the JDX space. The access floor now houses JDA’s plug & play infrastructure, seamlessly flooding the space with power and data.
JDA says that using their new space as a sales tool has already proven a boon for the company. They’re seeing deals closing faster and more excitement in the market. Even when they’re inviting C-level people to Scottsdale in the summer—when it’s 110 degrees—JDA uses the space to encourage them to come.
“If we had tried to do this project with drywall and ceiling tiles it wouldn't have had a tenth of the effect that it's had on people," says Mulherin. “One of the comments made to me after the opening was ‘this is going to be a game-changer for our sales force.’”
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