Milwaukee has some pretty cool offices. Our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal has been awarding the "Coolest Office" trophy for the past four years.
The Business Journal's editor-in-chief Mark Kass said what he looks for in a cool office space "is something kinda unique."
- GALLERY: Inside Milwaukee's Coolest Offices
Majic Productions in Waukesha is a lighting and event company. Its cool office includes a game room complete with Ski-ball, Foosball, a movie lounge, and even an office dog Winston, the vice president of morale.
Monica Jurken, the vice president of Majic Productions, said the office also includes a table that converts into a bed.
"Sometimes we have late night shifts and early mornings so the Dunne suite is for Dennis (Dunne) who might have to stay overnight and has a place to sleep as a result of that," Jurken said.
For the sleep-deprived worker, coffee is key. Bader Rutter's new office has plenty of that.
In the old Laacke and Joys building downtown, the advertising and marketing firm has a centralized coffee station and cafe.
There is also a grand staircase and floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the Milwaukee river.
"It's about open space and really the natural light," Kass said. "People love open space, they love places to sit."
Bader Rutter chairman Greg Nickerson said the office also has an office pontoon, "We use the pontoon for our clients when they visit us. They're from all over the country. But we also use it for employee outings and we use it as prizes for certain contests we run."
But the Business Journal awarded this year's Coolest Office award to Zimmerman Architectural Studios just west of downtown Milwaukee.
The offices sit in a building built for the Milwaukee Gas Light Company in the early 1900s. It was designed by famed architect Alexander Eschweiler.
Now it's home to architects and engineers.
With 70 foot soaring ceilings, the building has zoned climate control, a kitchen and meeting area, and even a basketball hoop.
President and CEO Dave Stroik is proud of the space and all its bells and whistles but says it has to be more than aesthetics.
"We've been in business for over 100 years," he said. "More importantly is to show the sort of corporate culture to show that you're concerned about what is important to employees."
Kass told us for 2019 he will be looking for big, open spaces and natural light, spaces that are unique and that stand out and show fun.
