IBA moves into suburban digs

Northwestern Financial Review, Sep 1, 2001 by Dullum, Justin

By moving from a downtown Des Moines building constructed in the 1930s, and into a new structure in Johnston, a Des Moines suburb, the Iowa Bankers Association changed more than just its location. It changed the dynamics of its work space.

"The old building caused a communication problems between divisions," said Steve Looney, IBA's vice president of strategic technologies who handled the relocation project. "We wanted to open up the casual communication that occurs on an informal basis."

The building's 40,000-square-foot interior is marked by open spaces. "It's a huge culture change for the IBA. Before they were on five different floors of a building, and now they will all mostly be on one floor," said Ellen Wood of Waterloo, Iowa-based Kirk Gross Company, the architectural firm that designed the interior. "The IBA functions much like any mortgage, insurance or banking company. It was designed with that sort of functionality in mind."

Glass walls, open and shared work spaces, and twelve-foot ceilings are a departure from the traditional cubicle, closed-door environment from which the IBA has operated for years. And the changes did not occur without dissent, Looney said.

"There are always those who are less open to the idea of change," said Bob Buckley, Kirk Gross Company. "But those who are open tend to help the skeptical realize the value of change and how these changes can help them work better together."

Vastly increased parking and accessibility were less skeptically received than was a contemporary offace space. "Parking downtown was definitely an issue for both our members and our employees. This gave us lots of parking and almost immediate access to Interstate Highways 35 and 80," Looney said.

The IBA will occupy 30,000 square feet of the structure. Broker Dealer Financial Investments, which oversees IBA Securities, will occupy the remaining space. The building will be used mainly for daily operations but designing an in-house training facility was also a top priority. "Since we now have a 60-person capacity training center, a lot of the training we do at hotel sites will be done from our own facility," Looney said.

Although the new building will be leased, it was designed to the IBA's specifications. "Based on the lease we were getting, we felt tying up our capital would be bad in the long term," said Looney. "We can get a better return on our capital in other ways."

The IBA made the decision to move two years ago, based on accessibility, work environment and training facility concerns. Since that time, research was conducted to ensure the IBA was getting exactly what its function was demanding. "We spent a lot of time with the employees and designed spaces that would fit their specific needs. It's all been done with a great deal of sensitivity," said Buckley. "I think the new building will serve them well for years to come."

By Justin Dullum