A ‘different’ Hodges…the space.
We knew for about a year that we’d have to move The Hodges Partnership out of its long-time home in Shockoe Bottom. Our lease was coming due and the building owners wanted to convert the historic building and its neighbors into residential units.
But for us it was more than that. We had run out of functional space. We had little collaborative space. And Shockoe Bottom never took off.
The decision to move was easy. But what we wanted to accomplish was more than just a move.
We wanted to focus on three things:
- The physical space and what it could create for our people and our business
- A new look, feel and brand for Hodges that reflects its present, while having an eye toward its future
- A critical examination of who we are and what we do in 2025 and beyond
To accomplish these goals, we went down three parallel paths: The space. The brand. The reflection. This is the first post of a three-part series that unpacks our journey.
The space
We promised ourselves we wouldn’t fall in love with the first place we looked at.
Yeah, right.
Working last January with our client, One South Commercial, we gave some loose space and geographic parameters. But ultimately, we wanted to be in a vibrant area, with lots of collaborative space but also with spaces where our folks could work in private if needed.
On that first day we looked at 4-5 locations with most of them being total buildouts that would have been a stretch for us. Thankfully, our first stop was in Scott’s Addition in a space that, ironically, housed three former Hodges clients at three different times. It also came with the “bones” of what we wanted and a fair amount of furniture and AV equipment that could be conveyed to us.
The decision was quick. And after a three-month process to locate parking (Scott’s Addition, right?) we signed the lease.
We have always been big fans of Campfire & Co. and couldn’t wait to reach out to Christie, Christina and Lauren to help us design our new home.
Their process quickly gets to the heart of not only “look and feel” but the “heart” of what an organization is and how a space can support and reflect it. We thoroughly enjoyed the exploration, and they really nailed who we are, what we want to become and how to bring that to life in our new environment.
From colors to “neighborhoods,” to private getaways and collaborative areas, they nailed it while keeping our heritage, history and love of baseball throughout.
We can already see it paying off in the first few weeks and months as folks are finding their footing and their favorite places to meet, collaborate and escape. All of it happening very organically.
Our large central entrance area and its design also lends itself to hosting clients, meetings and events. We are already planning some fun “public” events and want Hodges and its new home to also become a home for creative thinking, not only for our team and our clients, but also for our partners and the broader community.
We have plans.
And as you can see, we have a new look to go with those plans.
But that is for the next post.
Jon Newman
In 2002 Jon cofounded The Hodges Partnership and has helped to grow it into one of the country’s largest public relations firms (based on O’Dwyer’s annual rankings). Jon has taught communications as an adjunct professor at VCU, speaks regularly at conferences and meetings and blogs and tweets about public relations and marketing issues.
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