Kittle Property Group: An investment in people and place

Kittle Property Group Inc. specializes in the development, construction, and management of multi-family properties. As the Kittle Property Group Indianapolis office grew, a series of build-outs had resulted in a workplace with many workstations but little room for small group collaboration. Consistent with the company’s focus on investing in their properties, communities, and employees, Kittle Property Group purchased a building and created a space that speaks to its culture, values, and evolution.

New space, new vision

Kittle Property Group engaged OfficeWorks to furnish their new environment, located on the top floor of a four-story building. The space allowed Kittle Property Group to address key goals of giving everyone access to natural light, collaboration spaces, and ergonomic and consistent workstations.

“In our previous space, private offices were located along the exterior walls, limiting access to natural light to interior workstations,” said Keisha Underwood, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Kittle Property Group. “The setup of workstations for both privacy and the pass-through of light was a key consideration in our new office.”

Another key objective was providing more meeting areas for small groups. The previous space had a couple of small conference rooms and one large conference room.

“There weren’t enough private spaces for people to meet, which created challenges and stress when people didn’t know where to go,” said Chantal Crabtree, Director of Corporate Procurement & Operations at Kittle Property Group.

The move was also an opportunity for Kittle Property Group to create consistency in workstations, having come from a space with an assortment of chairs and desks.

From an aesthetics perspective, Kittle Property Group wanted a timeless look consistent with its brand identity, which has also been updated.

“With the overall design, we wanted a more monochromatic approach,” said Susan Rembusch, Interior and Sustainability Design Coordinator at Kittle Property Group. “We thought, if we’re going to stay in this building, we want it to look just as good 15 years later.”

Addressing needs, enhancing experiences

OfficeWorks collaborated closely with the Kittle Property Group team and designer to offer selections that fit with their vision.

“We appreciated the OfficeWorks team’s keen eye for design and how they brought input and ideas to the table,” Susan added. “We’d tell them what we were looking for, and they would give us options that would fit with what we were thinking.”

“We meshed well with the OfficeWorks team,” Keisha said.” They listened, were responsive, and whenever I met with them, it was a great use of time.”

For OfficeWorks, that feeling of appreciation was mutual.

“The Kittle Property Group team is design-minded, and our group worked so well together,” said Camille Inchauste, Account Executive at OfficeWorks. “Everyone had input, bringing ideas and suggestions to the table.”

“When a team respects each other and has fun together, it comes out in the results,” added Megan Minnich, Senior Designer at OfficeWorks.

From taking the Kittle Property Group team on a tour of another furniture installation to providing mockup workstations, OfficeWorks provided multiple approaches to inform Kittle Property Group’s decisions.

“The mockups helped us determine if we wanted to make any last-minute changes and got everyone excited about the workstations,” Susan said.

OfficeWorks also provided chairs for Kittle Property Group employees to test drive before making a final decision.

“They let us have the chairs as long as we needed,” said Chantal. “That was helpful because sometimes you can’t tell how comfortable a chair is when you sit in it for just a few seconds.”

“We appreciated being able to try out different chairs because not all dealerships do that, and it took some coordination on OfficeWorks’ end,” Susan added. “We also appreciated how hospitable everyone was when we visited the OfficeWorks showroom. It was always exciting going there to look at furniture and finishes.”

After the Kittle Property Group team selected Herman Miller’s Embody chair, OfficeWorks provided ergonomic training to help team members adjust their chairs as needed.

“We picked a great chair and now everyone has height-adjustable work surfaces so they can get as comfortable as possible,” Susan said.

Throughout the project process, OfficeWorks’ focus on addressing Kittle Property Group’s needs and enhancing their experience extended to the installation team.

“There’s so much value on OfficeWorks’ logistics side,” Chantal said. “The installation team helped make our project successful because of their responsiveness, positive attitude, and follow-up to make sure we were happy.”

A lasting impression

Kittle Property Group’s new office creates a welcoming first impression for guests—one that begins before they even make it to the fourth floor.

“As the first ones here, we were able to establish what the tenant lounge and lobby on the first floor looked like,” Susan said. “The first impression starts there and sets the tone for the building.”

Kittle Property Group’s space meets their vision of an environment filled with light and collaborative spaces that inspire visitors and employees alike.

“This is a different look and feel for Kittle Property Group,” Keisha said. “We have always had a professional environment, but this kicked it up several notches. Prior to moving into our new space, over half of the staff worked remotely. Now, employees have chosen to come back into the office, and a lot of that is due to having such a nice space. It’s inviting and has had a positive impact on the mood here. Everything is clean and crisp, and that goes a long way in increasing people’s energy levels.”

Susan noted that the new office has met their goals of creating more meeting spaces and blending a classic design with an element of fun.

“We have more than twice the number of options in a variety of sizes, from a large conference room to phone booths for taking private calls,” she said. “Having different types of spaces available eliminates the stress of finding a place to meet, and the office is quieter because people have more places to gather. Our break room is phenomenal. I love going there and running into people from the other side of the building.”

While owning an office building was a new experience for Kittle Property Group, their new location helps market other office suites in the facility.

“By far it’s the most beautiful office we’ve had to date,” said Chantal. “The ability to show our space to potential tenants has been a huge help because they see the potential and envision what they could do. Our office shows employees and visitors that our owner cares about our work environment, providing us with quality furniture with good ergonomics. I’m really proud of it.”

Project Team

Interior Design: Schott Design