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Recognizing the Good — With Style

Awardco and Ezra Lee Design + Build are adding wellness to workspaces

Ezra Lee Design + Build ezralee.com | Awardco awardco.com

“It allows people the opportunity to change their workspace and eat without having to actually stop working,” Whitney says. “If you’re at your desk all day, you can come here and sit by a window to get some natural light without having to leave the office.” 
“A part of wellness is choosing how and when you work,” Whitney says. “These spaces give people an opportunity for rest. It gives them an opportunity to have heads-down work without having to take up full office space.”
“With conference rooms, pods and other options, team members are able to be surrounded by the buzz of the company, but also have a quiet space where they can meet with teams for training, client and investment needs,” Jay says.
“We’ve intentionally designed elements that inspire our employees, not just in how they work but in how they grow,” says Steve. “One of the ways we’ve done this is by naming about 20 conference rooms after Utah’s most iconic peaks and hikes, like Kings Peak, Mt. Nebo and Delicate Arch.
“You can tell you’re in a higher end space, but executives don’t have any additional perks outside of anyone else,” says Whitney. “It kind of gets rid of that hierarchy feeling, while still creating a very nice space for the C-Suite members.” 

The goodness in employees is there — and Awardco’s mission is to recognize it.

   Based in Lindon and founded in 2015 by Steve Sonnenberg, Mike Sonnenberg and Tanner Runia, Awardco is a global employee recognition and rewards software company that’s all about recognizing the good. In 2022, BusinessQ recognized Awardco as a Triple Crown Winner for making all three UV50 lists: Startup to Watch (2017), Economic Engine (2022) and Fastest-Growing Company (2019, 2020 and 2021). The company also recently opened its first global office in London.

   But perhaps the greatest metric for Awardco’s success is the countless employees — internally and externally — it has helped to celebrate.

   And, of course, that culture starts within Awardco’s walls.

   “Once we moved into this building, we have worked to make it ours and to reflect our culture and company,” says Jay Roberts, VP of Real Estate Operations. “Just as important to that digital recognition experience that we offer is to create a physical experience that rewards and recognizes the people who work and visit here.”

   With the expert eye of Ezra Lee Design + Build, Awardco’s third floor of their Lindon office was recently completed. This is where the majority of their 550 employees work, and it was crucial to Awardco that the employees have a top-tier space for their workdays.

   “At Awardco, we’re all about recognizing the good in people and motivating them to do great things,” says CEO Steve Sonnenberg. “That philosophy extends beyond our platform. It’s woven into our workspace. We’ve intentionally designed elements that inspire our employees, not just in how they work — but in how they grow.”

A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

   When it came to selecting a designer for the Awardco space, Ezra Lee Design + Build was the first and obvious answer. 

   Jay Roberts and Whitney Reynolds, senior interior design manager for Ezra Lee Design + Build, previously worked on projects together. With that rapport in place, Jay knew that working with Whitney was the best choice.

   “Ezra Lee Design + Build fit our design scheme in terms of the look and feel we wanted,” Jay says. “We went for a modern Scandinavian feel — focused on simplicity and a restful mind. The Nordic countries are focused on wellness, peace and mindfulness. Our space is a lively space, but it also has calm features that allow you to sink in and find your happiness.”

   While Ezra Lee Design + Build generally works on residential projects, they love the challenge of working on a corporate project — and started offering those services around 10 years ago.

   “This was a great opportunity for us because we were trying to build our commercial portfolio,” Whitney says. “Before Awardco, Ezra Lee Design + Build had only done a handful of workspaces, so we were excited to get this opportunity.”

   With a corporate space vs. residential, a designer has to plan the project with the emotions of hundreds of people in mind — which offers a new type of challenge.

   “We spend more time at work than we do at home, so people are very connected to their workspace,” Whitney says. “Executive teams understand that, and that’s why they invest the money to make it a nice space. Commercial work is so rewarding because we have the opportunity to touch so many lives.”

   In the post-COVID era, Whitney says that companies in general haven’t been as willing to invest in their workspaces because of the shift to hybrid and remote work. Not so with Awardco.

   “We were impressed with Awardco for being willing to invest in their people enough to give them a place that is healthy, welcoming, and focused on wellness — a place that makes them excited to come to work,” Whitney says.

   Awardco and Ezra Lee Design + Build truly built something special together. 

Photos by Meagan Larsen, Ezra Lee Design + Build