New office brings the outdoors inside and features a life-size cabin;
Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, to attend opening
Detroit, Mich. (May 1, 2018) – The Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM) will unveil their exciting, new headquarters located at 1333 Brewery Park Boulevard, Suite 500 in Detroit at a ribbon cutting event on June 6 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. The 16,591 square feet of new office space provides an inspiring, one-of-a-kind interior atmosphere for employees while capturing the spirit of the Girl Scouts by bringing the outdoors into their work environment. Complete with a full-size cabin in the main entry, the new offices are built to be a collaborative gathering and meeting space for the Girl Scouts, training for employees and troop leaders, and a multi-purpose area for the organization and their guests. Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, will be a featured guest at the ribbon cutting event.
Led by the combined vision of GSSEM’s CEO Denise Dalrymple, Davis & Davis Interior Design and MarxModa, three local GSSEM offices were combined into one location to maximize cost savings and create a park-like setting that brings the outdoors, inside. Dalrymple said, “We took a holistic view of the needs in our three locations and, with that knowledge, encouraged the designers to develop a space that provided a collaborative, inspiring environment to serve all of our needs and constituencies. The result is a space that speaks to the values of the organization and provides an even greater opportunity for us to grow our membership and support.”
In addition to her role with the Girl Scouts of the USA, Acevedo is an award-winning technology executive. She began her career as a rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before holding positions with some of the world’s most respected companies such as REBA Technologies, Dell Computer Corporation, Autodesk Inc., Apple Computer, IBM, among others. A bio and photo of Acevedo is available here.
Built over four-months, key features in the new GSSEM headquarters include:
- Cabin – “A house inside a house”– An 835 square foot multimedia training and collaboration space that is the signature feature of the office
- Lighting – Meant to evoke a feeling of being outside, many of the lights represent camping elements such as clouds, rain, trees and the bright natural light of the outdoors
- Materials – Key throughout the entire space are shades of the recognizable Girl Scouts brand colors as well as materials like wood, steel, cement, artwork of the outdoors, etc.
- Cookie Closet – Houses 885 square feet of storage space for the Girl Scout Cookies, among other inventory and storage needs all year long
- Employee Extras – Mother’s Room for breastfeeding moms; picnic table for group lunches and meetings; soundproof seating booths; bar level community tables; and adjustable desks for seating/standing
- Kitchen Space – Complete with various appliances useful for cooking/heating lunch, the kitchen area features expansive countertops and a long bar-height table with room for multiple seating
- Council Shop – Adjacent to the front entrance, the Girl Scout shop is available to the public and features badges, apparel, troop supplies and more
- Conference Rooms – Eight multi-media conference rooms for employees and guests to meet and collaborate
“We wanted to create a collaborative environment unique to the Girl Scouts that reflects their mission, incorporates outdoor elements important to the Girl Scout culture, and captures the youthful energy we see embodied in its 32,000 members,” said Howard Davis, of Davis & Davis Interior Design.
“Our goal was to provide the Girl Scouts with a vibrant, modern working space that encourages collaboration and creativity through an open environment, multi-purpose working spaces and a sleek office design to inspire engagement and productivity,” said Lisa Whalls of MarxModa.
Vendors used for interior design, furnishing and construction of the GSSEM headquarters include Davis & Davis Interior Design, MarxModa, Herman Miller, Wilsonart® and contractor Christopher D’Angelo, of D’Angelo Construction Corp. For photos and descriptions of the new GSSEM office space click here. All photo credits should be made to the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan.
About Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM):
GSSEM is the local council chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) to facilitate the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE), designed to help girls develop leadership skills through three key elements—Discover, Connect and Take Action. Each element has a set of five outcomes including girls develop a strong sense of self (Discover); girls develop healthy relationships (Connect); and girls can identify community needs (Take Action). GSSEM serves more than 32,000 girls and adult volunteers in Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, St. Clair, Sanilac, and parts of Wayne, Monroe and Livingston Counties. GSSEM provides a girl-led, girl-centered, fun-filled quality leadership experience.