Milwaukee’s Coolest Offices: Traction Factory retains historic nature while adding modern touches
mhauer • April 17, 2017
By: Mark Kass, Editor-in-Chief of the Milwaukee Business Journal – April 17, 2017
Take one look at Traction Factory’s new office in the Walker’s Point neighborhood and you see a project that transformed an old industrial building into a well-lit, modern office with several historic touches echoing Milwaukee’s manufacturing past. Check out the attached slideshow to see photos of the office.
The extensive project at 247 S. Water St. involved punching 17 holes in the outer walls so windows are visible from every workspace. A second-floor deck was added overlooking the river. New communication and information technology systems were wired into the building. Traction Factory hired Walker’s Point business Scathain LLC to make custom furniture.
“The end result is true to the history of the building and consistent with the renaissance happening in the neighborhood,” said Scott Bucher, president of Traction Factory. “It’s a metaphor for the work we do. We take things and make them better while driving business. We build momentum.”
The many features helped Traction Factory win a designation as one of Milwaukee’s Coolest Offices by the Milwaukee Business Journal in its 2017 awards program. Traction Factory is the sixth of 10 firms that have earned that designation in the newspaper’s awards program.
The winners are being featured on the Milwaukee Business Journal’s website and in our April 28 weekly edition. Click on the headlines below to read the stories on Cousins Subs, SafeNet Consulting, Phoenix Investors, Zywave and Mehmert Store Services.
I talked with Bucher recently about the many offerings and unique design of Traction Factory’s office.
Q: Talk about the process that was used to determine the look of your office space.
A: “Having looked at nearly every empty office space with character in Milwaukee before settling here, finding our own building, our own address, was key. Finding it in Walker’s Point was a priority. The neighborhood is us. It’s workmanlike. We approached the building project as we would any other Traction Factory job. I went back to the creative brief that I had written as I was naming the business nearly seven years ago. Interestingly, I made only minor tweaks to it before sitting with our team to begin concepting the space.
“With that input, we sat down with the team at Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP. I asked that the design be an inspirational space. I wanted it to be consistent with the history of the building – 1920s warehouse – and it needed to be differentiating, something a guest would not have encountered before. Above all, it needed to be collaborative and a place that people would want to come every day and do great work.
“In our first meeting, we talked about the space being ‘kick-ass.’ We all agreed that we were placing the bar there. All design and materials decisions were to be made with that measuring stick. With complete support of the building owners around that concept, we arrived at the final design. Our construction partner carried the concept through with all of the building trades. If the work did not meet ‘kick-ass,’ it wasn’t going to pass our review.
“The end result is true to the history of the building and consistent with the renaissance happening in the neighborhood. It’s a metaphor for the work we do. We take things and make them better while driving business. We build momentum.”
Q: Has the office space been helpful in recruiting and retaining employees?
A: “The reaction of many of the associates that made the transition to the new space was, ‘I feel like I have a new job.’ The level of enthusiasm with our current team remains very high. Based on business growth, we are currently recruiting several positions across the organization. To a person, the individuals we are communicating with have referenced the momentum being generated around the building project.
“As a company of our size, having experienced consistent growth over the last six years, with this move we had the option to either coast or put our foot into it and make a statement with this project. We chose the latter. It is already paying dividends for us – both from a retention/recruitment perspective, as well as a business development perspective.”
Q: Can you explain some of the unique aspects of the space and how it is helpful to employees?
A: “As an organization, we are responsible for generating creative ideas every day. Doing that is best accomplished in an inspirational space. While we wanted to maintain the 1920s warehouse feel of the building, it needed to be bright, it needed to be fun and it needed to be updated from a technology perspective so that we could communicate with our staff and clients around the globe.
“We designed the space so that every associate has a window office. The entire north wall of the space is glass. Because we work in a team environment, we wanted people to have the option to be able to gather in open and closed meeting spaces, as required by the project. Taking a cue from our architects, we also built ‘huddle’ rooms into the space so that anyone could slip into a room with a door to make a private call when the situation called for it.
“The Garage conference room was designed to accommodate a client meeting of more than 20 people and the overhead doors open into the casual reception space so that we can entertain in that space, as well. The Café on the second level was designed to offer associates a place to relax and have a bite to eat or to hold an informal lunch meeting. The outdoor deck is adjacent to that space and was designed to serve as work and entertainment space.”
Q: Why did you choose to include several historic touches echoing Milwaukee’s manufacturing past?
A: “Walker’s Point has long been the incubator of successful companies that went on to great success in Milwaukee history. It seemed to me to be a natural thing that we would take the building back to a time when the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. occupied it – and then make it better.
“The windows (we punched 17 holes into the walls of the building) were an important consideration. They needed to look like we envisioned they did in the 1920s, while also providing a bright inspirational work environment. The fixtures and mechanicals include local heritage brands: Bradley Corp., Perlick and Kohler. Lighting is appropriate for the period.
“Finally, a 1920s warehouse would not have traditional high-style, mass-produced office furniture in it. I wanted every work surface to be hand-made and local, if we could find a world-class partner locally, we did – without leaving Walker’s Point. The team at Scathain worked with us to see the vision through to the smallest detail. Every one of the 60-plus work surfaces is a handcrafted piece of furniture that is elegantly functional and true to the workmanlike vibe of the space. And when I asked for special pieces for the conference room and office spaces on the second floor, they added reclaimed wood from the Pabst project and created one-of-a-kind mirrored glass art to make it very special.”
Q: Why did you choose to add the deck?
“Early in the design phase with our architect, Plunkett Raysich Architects, we discussed the idea of incorporating outside space. While the Quaker windows were designed to open and allow fresh air into the space, I wanted another place where our team could change their work venue. Whether it is a team meeting, a client lunch or a company social event, the deck was a perfect solution – and we were able to do it without changing the look of the face of the building to a point that it was inconsistent with the overall design.
“Beyond the work applications, it was designed to be a great place to watch festival fireworks from this summer. We’ve learned that coffee on the deck is a great way to start the morning. The view of the changing Milwaukee skyline is inspirational and it will be a perfect spot to locate the band for our first outdoor party this spring.”
Q: Any other unusual additions?
A: “Billiards table – once we had decided on a casual feel to the first-floor reception/lounge area, I began my search for a signature piece that would fit the vibe, be a piece that our team would congregate around and would make a statement in the space. I selected a 1950s-era Brunswick billiards table and then found the guy to restore it in Kansas. His work is incredible – and his client list reflects it. Like most of the rest of the build project, it has its own history. It came out of a Big 10 school student union before making its way to Kansas and then Milwaukee.
“The ‘Kick Ass Happens Here’ art installation – we treated the build project as another client. As we considered the art installation that would hang inside the front entrance, I asked the team to bring ideas that celebrated who we are and the fact that we choose to do it in Walker’s Point. I wanted to make a clear statement of where the bar is placed for that work. The installation is intended to be an inspirational daily reminder to our associates and a statement to clients and prospects alike that we mean it when we say we’re serious about building momentum for the clients we serve.”
Company information:
- Company: Traction Factory LLC
- Address: 247 S. Water St., Milwaukee
- President/CEO: Scott Bucher
- Number of employees: 26
- Square footage of office: 9,403 square feet
- Architect/designer: Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP
- Number of years in space: Three months
Original article and slideshow can be located here .
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A three-story building in Walker’s Point will get a new lease on life under a plan from developer David Winograd. It’s a site that has already given life to many entrepreneurial dreams. Plans were released in 2016 to redevelop the 38,222-square-foot building at 228 S. 1st St., but the work never advanced beyond gutting the structure. Now Winograd, through LCM Funds 35 Offices LLC, is seeking to start construction work. His firm filed for a commercial alteration permit this week. A leasing brochure from Founders 3 shows open floor plans for office users with exposed-wood ceilings and new windows, including in spaces currently covered. A partially below-grade lower level is also available at a reduced rate. A Wisconsin Historical Society report says the building, long used as a warehouse, was built in 1912. It was known as “Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Factory No. 7” and designed by the firm of Kirchhoff & Rose. “The invention of the automated system for milling and threading cast motorcycle engine parts and wheel hubs employed at Factory No. 7 enabled the Harley-Davidson Motor Company to substantially increase the firm’s production capacity to meet the growing national demand for the company’s motorcycles,” said the historical society in announcing the building’s historic designation. But the motorcycle company was the second of Milwaukee’s industrial giants to use the site. Newspaper records indicate a prior building (photo) was built in 1892 as a foundry and machine shop for Pawling and Harnischfeger (better known as P&H and now by its parent company, Komatsu Mining). In 1899 a building was added kitty-corner across the intersection of S. 1st St. (then Clinton) and W. Oregon St. (a tunnel may have connected them) further expanding the company’s campus. In 1901 an office building addition was added to the first building. The company also purchased a complex to the east. But disaster would strike in 1903. A large fire destroyed the 1899 building on the southwest corner. The fast-growing company used the insurance proceeds to relocate to West Milwaukee in 1905, a move it is now reversing as part of a $285 million plan to come back to Walker’s Point. Fire also destroyed the 1892 building in December 1909, then used as a home for the Milwaukee School of Trades, but spared the office addition. The 1894 Sanborn fire insurance map shows the site as a foundry and machine shop, but by 1910 it’s labeled “ruins of fire.” In 1912, Alonzo Pawling built the current structure on the site. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported in 1913 that Harley-Davidson would lease the new building from Pawling while it built its current factory on the city’s West Side. The 1912 building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2020, enabling historic preservation tax credits to be obtained to support 20% of applicable redevelopment costs. It had been added to the Wisconsin historic register in August 2020, making it eligible for the matching 20% state credit. Is it not locally protected. Prior to LCM’s acquisition in 2016, the property was already being used, at least partially, as office space. Continuum Architects + Planners was one of many tenants that repurposed the former warehouse space into low-cost office space. A woodworking shop and other light industrial uses could be found in the building. The latest renovation is intended to push the building upmarket, making it competitive with higher-end buildings in the Historic Third Ward neighborhood located a couple of blocks north. A rooftop deck will be added with both indoor and outdoor space. Engberg Anderson Architects is the architecture firm working on the project. Catalyst Construction will lead the general contracting. “The building is basically going to be new from top to bottom,” said Scott Revolinski, a principal with both LCM Funds and Founders 3, in an interview with Alex Zank. Zank reported that Revolinski attributed the project’s planned March construction start to the awarding of tax credits. LCM paid $1.1 million for property and an adjoining building, 224 S. 1st St., the one-time P&H office addition. In a separate transaction, it acquired a surface parking to the east at 120-138 E. Oregon St. The 224 building was redeveloped into a home for Duet Resource Group after an affiliate of the furniture and interior design firm acquired it for $450,000 in 2018 from LCM. Work on the project, completed in May, was led by architect Russell LaFrambois and general contractor Project 4 Services. City records indicate the two-story building contains 7,400 square feet of space. The Duet and LCM projects join a number that are underway or recently completed near the intersection of S. 1st St. and W. Pittsburgh Ave. Robert Joseph is planning an apartment building for a vacant lot at the southeast corner. Broken Bat Brewing moved into a one-story building immediately to the east. Lacey Sadoff is redeveloping two buildings into housing and commercial space at 145 and 149-153 S. 1st St. If you go a few blocks further in virtually any direction you run into a number of LCM’s other Walker’s Point properties, including another tied into P&H’s history. It owns the Historic Fifth Ward Lofts, 103 W. Oregon St. The apartments were developed in the Lindsay Brothers building that replaced the 1899 P&H building at the southwest corner of S. 1st St. and W. Oregon St. It also owns the mixed-use South Water Works complex to the east, the Prime Leather Finishes Co. Building (Mabbett & Breeds Block) to the west, the surface parking lot at 300-306 S. 1st St. to the south and The Granary Lofts multiple blocks southwest.
The redevelopment of an old offi ce building northwest of East Oregon and South First streets in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood is moving forward after the project secured historic tax credits. Milwaukee-based LCM Funds LLC has already gutted the four-story, approximately 40,000-square-foot building at 228 S. First St. Construction work is to start sometime in March, said Scott Revolinski, principal of LCM funds and of Milwaukee-based Founders 3, which is marketing the property to prospective tenants. The 129-year-old building is undergoing major renovations. A rooftop deck is also being added. The addition includes a 1,550-square-foot wood deck with outdoor and 1,100- square-foot terrace amenity area. The rooftop amenity space could be a conference room, workout room, rooftop kitchen or an executive of ce and attached conference room, Revolinski said. Its final use will be dictated by the fi rst large offi ce tenant to sign a lease. “The building is basically going to be new from top to bottom,” Revolinski said. The approximately $4 million project is taking the next step because it secured historic tax credits after the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December. “If it weren’t for the historic tax credits, it wouldn’t be moving forward,” Revolinski said. He said LCM Funds has spoken with a number of potential tenants, whose interests ranged between leasing the whole building to only one or two floors.
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