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About the author: The Turnstone Tip is authored by Jenny Gauld, space planner for turnstone.
Red Nova Labs’ Kansas City office offers mixed space for team members to work and play.
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Over the last three years, Red Nova Labs has made its Kansas City office not only a place to work but also a reflection of its culture and spirit.
“This open and configurable space allows for edgy workspaces, 2:30 p.m. ping pong breaks and inter-office Nerf gun wars among many other things,” Red Nova Labs’ marketing coordinator Katelyn Wyss told SPN. “At the heart of our office, we have an environment where talent is rewarded, ambition is applauded and everyday work is actually fun.”
The 15,000-square-foot space, which Wyss says was initially chosen for its proximity to employees’ homes, is located just blocks from the Kansas City Startup Village, home to more than 20 area startups.
From Nerf guns and ping pong tables to copious amounts of natural light and room for group collaboration, Wyss says the space where the marketing and development firm’s 35 employees work could easily be described as “organized chaos.” With shelves covered in books and personal mementos, Wyss says wandering through Red Nova Lab’s office “always [holds] such great memories.” The team also likes to remember where it has come from in order to focus on where it’s headed.
“We also have a ‘Wall of Shame’ that outlines all our past ventures and failures,” she said. “It is always a reminder of the risks we are willing to take, and the blood, sweat and tears it took to get to the place we are now.”
Like the work they do, Red Nova Lab’s office space reflects the team’s ability to construct a culture of fun around its core values and business principles.
“We always say, ‘Life is too short to hate your job,’” Wyss said. “Culture did not come with the building, it came after we made it ours. It came from the inspiration of its employees, the innovators and the ping pong masters.”
Turnstone Tip
“Red Nova Labs has set the bar high as a young company that has built a place where personality and culture are displayed and elevated. We love that they’ve incorporated their brand with red lamps, floor squares, privacy walls, accessories and kitchen countertops. Their integration of ping pong shows intentionality around having fun, and a killer kitchen reinforces the message of team celebrations and vibrant office culture.
In the spirit of being prepared, it appears that Red Nova keeps ottomans waiting under desks for impromptu meetings. Our Buoy would be a great upgrade here, offering steady support, easy portability and pneumatic height adjustment for team members stopping by.
We also think the integration of Bivi desks could help route power and, coupled with Bivi floating side storage, keep work surfaces tidy. And when it comes to work surfaces, while dry erase markers work great on glass, our Paper Table offers a way to ideate on paper, rip it off and take it along to the next meeting.
It’s obvious that Red Nova believes space matters. And with their beautiful, well-organized space, they’re sending the message that they’ll care about their clients with that same attention to detail.”
To submit your startup for consideration, email editor@siliconprairienews.com to tell us why your company should be featured, and include a few photos.
Red Nova Lab’s Kansas City office is located just blocks from the Kansas City Startup Village, home to more than 20 local startups.
The office’s open floor plan allows for lots of team collaboration as well as easy communication.
Red Nova Labs keeps with its company branding when it comes to office decor—even its kitchen follows the design of minimalist tones with bright red accents.
Red Nova Labs uses glass tabletops and wall hangings to scribble down quick ideas or reminders for later.
A “Wall of Shame” is prominently displayed in the Kansas City company’s office. Katelyn Wyss says the failed or forgotten projects help motivate the team to do better work and stay creative day-to-day.
Members of the Red Nova Labs team relax and find their competitive edge with daily games of ping pong (above) and regular Nerf gun fights.
This post has been co-authored by our sponsor, turnstone.
Credits: Photos by Red Nova Labs.
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.
