Seattle-based Jones Soda Co. moved its headquarters to Seattle's Pioneer Square Historical District on the South edge of downtown. Jones' new 9,500-square foot headquarters, located in the Palmer Court Building at 1000 1st Avenue South, marks a new era for the company as it leaves behind its South Lake Union space (234 9th Avenue North) it has occupied for 11 years.
"Jones 2.0 is about rebooting an organization to operate more effectively with a truly great brand," said William Meissner, CEO for Jones in a prepared statement. "The new space is a reflection of the organization's commitment to the effort. The JONES brand and the new team needed a change of scenery from the eclectic beverage garage-sale styled office in South Lake Union. The Pioneer Square, Palmer Court building is iconic Seattle, promoting a far stronger brand experience and frequent product sampling with Safeco and Century Link stadium goers."
The new office space is located in a historic brick 1905 building and Jones will occupy the entire first floor of the six-story building. The open floor design will feature décor inspired by Jones and its fans, including colorful, fan-submitted photos that have been featured on bottles and historic Jones memorabilia. The company spent the weekend relocating its 28 locally based employees to the new space, and business will resume as normal on Monday, August 22.
"This year is all about new for Jones. We have incredible new sales team members making significant distribution progress, we re-launched an all new version of WhoopAss™ Energy Drink that is performing very well, we have some exciting new products on the way that will align with high-growth beverage categories, and now, we have a great new office space from which to make it all happen," continued Meissner. "It's an exciting and energetic time for the company, and we're looking forward to being a part of the Pioneer Square business community."
The new office is just blocks from Seattle's two major sports stadiums, and Jones will take advantage of this by positioning tasting stations outside of its headquarters to interact with pedestrian traffic on their way to professional baseball, soccer and football games. In addition, Jones will continue its popular Free Soda Fridays, in which anyone can stop by the office between 3 to 5 p.m. every Friday for a free bottle of Jones Soda. Hundreds of people visit the office every month for Free Soda Friday, including many tourists in search of their favorite soda brand.
For the construction and design of its new office, Jones teamed with Ankrom Moisan Architects and construction company Howard S. Wright. The Palmer Court building is managed by American Life, Inc.
This is only the third office for Jones. The company's headquarters was originally located in Vancouver from 1996 to 2000, when it headed stateside and settled in the South Lake Union spot. Jones has signed a 5-year lease for the new space with the option to renew.
