Sponsor: Thanks to turnstone, an office furniture company focusing on small businesses, for supporting Silicon Prairie News. The company is sponsoring our monthly Startup Spaces series.

About the author: The Turnstone Tip is authored by Jenny Gauld, space planner for turnstone.

Built in 1939, DivvyHQ‘s office building in Westport has seen a lot of life in its 75 years. What used to be Westport Fire Station 19 became office space and—once Broadway Roasting Company bought the building in 2007—partially a roastery and coffee shop.

Fortunately, all that history hasn’t died off. The fire poles are still in tact and remodeling work put in by an architecture firm—a previous tenant—gets put to use.

DivvyHQ, which creates content planning and production workflow tools, has been in the space for a year and a half after seven years in the River Market. Run by co-founders Brock Stechman and Brody Dorland, the team shares 3,000-square-feet with Stechman’s other current company, Brockton Creative Group, which is where DivvyHQ originated.

The two groups were running out of room, after quickly growing to six team members from DivvyHQ and 10 from Brockton Creative Group. Stechman said it was crucial to have spaces for a varied group. The search wasn’t easy, he said.

“I lost count of all the office spaces we looked at,” Stechman told Silicon Prairie News. “It was a long process and finding a new space is not fun at all. There are a lot of aspects to take into consideration: location, lease or purchase, contract terms and negotiation, utility costs, what we can afford now and if there’s enough space to grow into.

“Finding a space that allows us to create an optimal work environment for a creative staff, sales staff and executives has its unique challenges as well.”

An architecture firm putting work into the office certainly has had its benefits, he said. There are a number of open work areas, but also devoted space for private meetings, war rooms and brainstorming.

Their location, smack in between the Crossroads and the Plaza, puts them in close range to restaurants, bars and creatives—also just a couple minutes away from the Kansas City Startup Village. But more than anything, it puts them one floor away from fresh coffee.

“We are a creative group who thrive on collaboration and inspiration and this space is set up perfectly to keep our creative juices flowing,” Stechman said. “Most of us are pretty big coffee drinkers, so having the roastery downstairs keeps us fueled and energized. Plus, it has fire poles. Fire poles!”

Turnstone Tip 

“Divvy’s new home near the KC Startup Village beautifully incorporates new updates with the classic architecture of a 75-year-old fire station. We love how they’ve planned their headquarters in zones, offering open spaces, privacy areas and places to brainstorm. They have done a fantastic job of organizing their office and keeping workspaces tidy by routing cords rather than letting them run wild. We also liked how their artwork and magnetic boards add inspiration, while centered desks make collaboration easier.

One thing we didn’t notice in the photos was the presence of a kitchen area or gathering space large enough for the entire team to enjoy. Adding a standing height Big Table would encourage collaboration and approachability, boosting office culture and providing a natural spot to eat lunch or celebrate milestones together.”

DivvyHQ will receive two turnstone buoys for free as a thanks for participating in SPN’s Startup Spaces. To submit your startup for consideration, email editor@siliconprairienews.com to tell us why your company should be featured, and include a few photos. 

Located in the same building as the Broadway Roasting Company, the DivvyHQ team has no problem staying well-caffeinated throughout the day. 

Sharing its space with Brockton Creative Group allows the DivvyHQ team to surround themselves with beautiful images, unique prints and cat calendars. 

The startup’s waiting area is a great place for the team to display articles, snippets or images that inspire them.

DivvyHQ’s office has smaller conference rooms to allow private meetings or a quiet place to work during the day.

Large white boards take brainstorming to a new level in one of DivvyHQ’s larger conference rooms. 

The startup’s individual workspaces not only provide privacy but also add a pop of color to its offices. 

Wall-length shelves in DivvyHQ’s offices allow for lots of room to display awards, share favorite books and showcase the companies’ work. 

This post has been co-authored by our sponsor, turnstone.

Credits: Photos by Brooke Vandever.

About our sponsor: turnstone believes that our world needs innovative entrepreneurs and successful small businesses. We champion the idea that intentionally designed spaces and a vibrant office culture play a big role in this success. That’s why we’re committed to making it easier for leaders to leverage space and culture to help their companies thrive.