To the rescue

Entrepreneur,  Nov, 2004  by Amanda C. Kooser

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The clean lines of HON's Perpetual furniture line lend a sharp professionalism to the space. Light wood tones throughout help keep the small office rooms feeling airy and open. And just as Kathy wished, there are heaps of storage possibilities, from file cabinets to large storage cabinets. Their piles of registration forms, handouts, chemicals and supplies will all finally have proper homes. The HON 4313 Perpetual swivel chairs are many worlds away from the back-busting options Mad Science had before. Best of all, the combined effect is the creation of many flexible and functional work spaces throughout the office.

Filicia also created an additional work space by adding a wall near the back of the large front reception area. "I think I maximized the amount of people, storage and circulation they can have in there," tie says. With so many new employees expected to come onboard, they're going to need it.

Gone are the thermal fax machine and the frustration-inducing printer. A multifunction scan/fax/ print/e-mail Xerox WorkCentre Pro55 and a Phaser 8400 solid ink color printer are two new additions that will keep the Hamletts out of the local print shop and keep more of their money in their bank account. "They had extremely outdated technology, so there were immediate opportunities to make them a lot more productive," says Diane McGarry, corporate vice president and chief marketing officer with Xerox, and one of the contest judges. The new 17-inch flat-panel Xerox monitors spread throughout the office not only look sleek, but also maximize the usable work surface.

There's more to the technology part of the makeover than meets the eye. Xerox also installed an Ethernet network that will easily accommodate the Hamletts' needs as the business grows. Mad Science relies a lot on paperwork like registration forms for after-school programs. Xerox's DocuShare Software, a web-based document--and content-management system, will change the way they store and work with their data. "It allows them to organize their files, track versions of the documents, and help all of the employees collaborate on a document," explains McGarry. Kathy, for one, is glad the stacks of paper that once plagued the office will be transformed into a more efficient digital system.

The Hamletts were perfectly happy with having someone else set the course for the look and technology of their office. "It was nice not to have to make those decisions. It's better that it was taken out of our hands," says Kathy. Like many business owners, they hadn't had the time to pursue these changes on their own. Since all of Mad Science's interactions with children take place outside the office, there generally aren't a lot of clients visiting their office--but that may change as well. The Hamletts are looking forward to inviting over the teachers from the schools they're working with this fall.

Entrepreneurs, take cues from the Mad Science makeover when it comes to rethinking your own office spaces. "I take a lot of information from the client and a lot of information from what the space is about, what they use it for and the environment around it," says Filicia. The Arizona setting shows up in the earthy textures and tones: reds, khakis, blues and taupes. Small, colorful table lamps help bring warmth to the lighting scheme, and nature posters tie in to their science education mission. Large baskets hold science toys and supplies in an attractive and functional way.