United Federal Credit Union (UFCU) was looking for an opportunity to bring all their operations together under one roof. When the former Whirlpool building in St. Joseph, Michigan, became available UFCU partnered with The Redmond Company to evaluate the buildings potential and redesign the space to better suit UFCU’s needs. Redmond performed programming with UFCU staff to assess their current and future space needs and reviewed departmental layouts and locations to provide a floor plan that brings staff from five different UFCU locations into a reimagined, collaborative environment.

The updated 80,000 sf building brings together 375 of UFCU’s employees in an open office design with 42 private offices and 333 workstations, all with height adjustability to promote comfort and employee health. Multiple small meeting spaces, twelve conference rooms, flexible training rooms, and an executive board room offer integrated technology for employees to conduct meetings both virtually and face-to-face. Open collaborative spaces and inviting coffee bars are also strategically integrated into the layout to create opportunities for impromptu meetings and collaboration across departments. One large centralized work café space was included to encourage communication and interaction between all employees with an emphasis on providing healthy meal choices for employees.  Employees are also provided with a great outdoor space within the fully re-designed interior courtyard conveniently located off the large work café in the center of the building.  Glass overhead doors seamlessly connect the courtyard to the interior café space and provide employees with a great space to relax and retreat. A large workout facility was also included to help promote UFCU’s initiative for a healthy lifestyle.

The Redmond team also updated the design of the buildings exterior to highlight the entrance by adding a new prominent entry canopy that matches the look of UFCU’s other Redmond designed facilities. Finally, the site was updated to bring parking closer to the main entrance as well as provide a drive-up ATM for members and employees.

This new headquarters facility helps UFCU accommodate its growth needs, improves operational efficiency and creates an employee experience that helps UFCU retain and attract the highest quality employees.

The Redmond Company is honored to have partnered with UFCU on over 20 projects and we look forward to continuing our relationship on many additional projects in the coming years.