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A Good Place to Work
There were no two ways about it. The credit union was bursting at its seams.
For 30 years, the headquarters of the Operating Engineers Local #3 Federal Credit Union was in Dublin, near the 580/680 interchange. Both the location and the 36,000-square-foot building were suitable in the beginning. But over time, space got a little bit tight.
"We were kind of crawling all over each other," says Ron Poff, the credit union's vice president of administration. "We had opened up two departments in our operation, and the existing space just wasn't meeting our needs. We needed a larger space to accommodate what we currently have, and what we plan for the future."
Enter architect Cecil Spencer, who worked at RHL Design Group Inc. in Petaluma until September, and now owns Architectural Analysis and Design in Rohnert Park. At a work-related event in 2001, Spencer met Bill Onesta, then CEO of the credit union. "He approached me about his office building," says Spencer. "He had a vision of a building with a lot of angles and a lot of glass and a lot of break areas, patios, places to stroll."
That vision has been fulfilled. The headquarters is a stunning 54,000 square-foot curved steel and glass facility in a park-like setting. It is located on 6.5 acres of prime real estate on North Canyons Road in Livermore, where many of the credit union's 80 employees live. "Even more live over the hill in Tracy, and 580 is one of the worst commutes in the Bay Area. By moving out this way, we got closer to our staff," says Poff.
In December 2003, when the design phase of the project was completed, Onesta retired. His successor, Leon Lanfri, had served the credit union for 12 years, as Vice President of Operations. One of his tasks as President and CEO was to finish the project. Delighted with the results, Lanfri says, "It's a campus atmosphere versus what we had before - a parking lot and a building."
Off the lobby is a large café for employees, which opens onto a courtyard with outdoor seating. Second floor balconies overlooking the courtyard shade lunch tables, and benches are arranged around a central grassy area that features a pond and waterfall, shrubs, and trees. Enclosed on three sides, the courtyard is open to a view of the hills to the south.
A large central fountain graces the front of the building. "It's a wonderful visual effect," says Spencer. "Looking to the north from the lobby, you can see the fountain and the hills covered with wine grapes, and looking to the south, you can see hills in the distance."
All in all, the credit union is a uniquely pleasing environment. Says Poff, "Staff morale is at an all-time high. I think everybody has a whole new attitude about coming to work. It's great to feel good about the place where you spend eight hours of your day." East Bay Business Times |