Marketing communications agency Wray Ward has announced plans for a new office, bringing its more than 100 employees, collaboration spaces and production studios under one roof in a 38,000-square-foot adaptive reuse and new construction project in Charlotte’s emerging FreeMoreWest area.
“Our office relocation is a transformative opportunity for us to create an inspirational, flexible space that will help us attract and retain the best talent and inspire us to do amazing work for our clients’ brands,” said Jennifer Appleby, president and chief creative officer of Wray Ward, whose specialization in the home and building products categories gives this office move unique appeal.
“Choosing a space that requires both renovation and new construction gives us a unique opportunity to incorporate our clients’ brands throughout the building and tell their stories during the build. It’s an incredible experience for us as a marketing agency, and we’re thrilled to start building our new home,” Appleby said.
The new office will take shape from the renovation of an existing 20,000-square-foot 1950s industrial structure and construction of a new, two-story, 18,000-square-foot attached building.
The property is owned by LPA Urban in Charlotte’s emerging FreeMoreWest district, the area surrounding West Morehead Street and Freedom Drive, where the historic Wesley Heights, Enderly Park and Seversville neighborhoods converge. With the move, Wray Ward will join a creative mix of businesses moving to the area, from designer showrooms, breweries (Traust) and coffee shops (Enderly Coffee, Not Just Coffee) to fitness centers and restaurants, such as the soon-to-open Noble Smoke and Bossy Beaut’s Chicken Shack by noted Charlotte restaurateur Jim Noble.
“FreeMoreWest is a vibrant and fast-growing area of town, and Wray Ward and this space are a perfect fit for the neighborhood’s energy,” said Mark Miller with LPA Urban. “The building will include a mix of adaptive reuse and ground up construction with city skyline views. There’s no other project like this being built today in our market, and the result will be a creative and trendy office space that puts Wray Ward in the heart of a revitalized neighborhood with all the function and amenities they need for their business and employees.”
The agency’s search for the right space, led by John Christenbury of Cushman and Wakefield U.S., considered conveniences such as proximity to major highways, the airport and Uptown; preferences such as being a single tenant and walkability for employees; room to grow; the ability to have all services under one roof, including its photography and video studios which currently are housed separately from the agency; and, a creative space that would inspire the team.
“This space offers an urban loft-like opportunity for collaboration and teaming that is much different than the agency’s current work environment,” said Brooks Runkle, partner with Redline Design Group, which designed Wray Ward’s current office and did a test fit plan for the new project. “This is a unique space, and we envision a dynamic creative environment with exposed brick walls, wood timber ceilings and a dramatic skylight clerestory. It’s going to be an incredible project for us and the perfect space for Wray Ward.”
Founded in Charlotte in 1977, the agency’s office has always been along the Queen City’s Morehead Street corridor; the summer 2020 move will embark the agency on a new journey.
“We’re looking forward to starting the next chapter of Wray Ward,” Appleby said. “Moving just two miles away from our current home feels both new and familiar, and it will be the perfect setting to inspire smart, strategic thinking and creative ideas.”
