Zywave, Inc., a Wauwatosa-based computer software company that services insurance brokers and financial planners, on Thursday corralled its employees at an event to celebrate the development of its new headquarters.
The company plans to consolidate its operations into The Meadowland Research & Technology Center, located at 10100 Innovation Drive in the Milwaukee County Research Park.
The building, in development by Milwaukee-based Irgens, will have four stories and will cover about 85,000 square feet. Zywave will become the building’s anchor tenant as the company consumes about 60,000 square feet upon move in while holding additional office space in the building to accommodate future growth.
The construction project will likely break ground in September. Zywave expects to move into its new headquarters next June after the building is completed in the spring. Close to 300 employees will work in the new facility, according to O’Brien.
Zywave will be located on three of the four floors, according to the company’s chief executive officer, Dave O’Brien. Along with occupying the entire top floor, the company will occupy approximately half of the third floor and will also have a presence on the ground floor, where it plans to have a cafeteria for employees. Right outside, the company plans to create an outdoor workspace on a deck. The space will feature tables, a fire pit and a grill so that employees can take advantage of warm weather by working outside or taking a break.
Also outside, Zywave plans to set up a front yard where it will provide space for employee wellness activities as well as host Bublr Bikes for staff to use.
“We want to be the house in the neighborhood that the kids don’t want to leave,” O’Brien said, nodding to the stiff competition for talent in Milwaukee.
The city is a “phenomenal” place to hire a talent pool, he said, as its institutions produce smart people with good Midwestern ethics.
But Zywave must compete for that talent like any other company, he said.
The software company has lately been experiencing a trajectory of consistent growth, having acquired Warwick, R.I.-based Intygral in July. Also in July, Zywave completed a major product release under its HRconnection software.
“It’s an exciting time for our company,” O’Brien said.
Zywave currently has more than 350 employees, more than 100 of whom work remotely across the country.
The company’s future growth will entail expansions inside its new consolidated space, where it will promote employee collaboration, O’Brien said. Along with organic growth, the company will likely seek other acquisition opportunities as well several more product releases before the end of the year.
Much of Zywave’s recent growth has been driven by the “dynamic” market as Obamacare continues to take effect, according to O’Brien. The company’s software allows insurance brokers to offer a range of solutions to clients. With the options available in the software, small brokers can now look like huge brokers.
The world of insurance is changing on insurance brokers, he said.
“Because the marketplace is changing, it’s just allowed us to help out the industry and help (brokers) grow,” O’Brien said.
Zywave will vacate three other spaces it occupies in the Milwaukee County Research Park, including its current headquarters, 10700 Research Drive, #400.
The company anticipates hosting a formal groundbreaking ceremony in September.
