HERE Technologies’ new American HQ is so big you might want a map to navigate it.
On Tuesday, the mapping and location services platform provider opened the doors to a newly renovated 275,000 square-foot office spanning eight floors of the Boeing Building in downtown Chicago. The office will serve as HERE’s headquarters for the Americas region.
Headquartered in the Netherlands with 9,000 employees worldwide, HERE has 1,200 employees in the Windy City. The new office has room for up to 1,400 employees.
For now, the company plans to make 80 new hires in Chicago.
We value Chicago for its tremendous workforce talent pool, domain expertise across industries and the city’s history of innovation.”
“Employees have a variety of meeting rooms that accommodate anywhere from two to 200 people, immersive telepresence capabilities for teamwork with peers and customers across the globe, several dedicated wellness and mothers’ rooms, quiet workspaces, large and small café areas, a fitness center, and a game room,” said Executive VP and COO Angel Mendez.
The company’s Chicago team consists primarily of technical talent, with expertise ranging from data science and machine learning to engineering and cartography.
“We value Chicago for its tremendous workforce talent pool, domain expertise across industries and the city’s history of innovation in transportation and mobility,” said Mendez in a statement. “We look forward to furthering our position within the local tech community and giving back in meaningful ways to the communities in which we live and work.”
Local artists Joshua Davis and Matthew Hoffman, among others, were commissioned to create custom murals within the space. The new office also hosts a live demonstration area for showcasing the company’s latest technology.
“HERE could have chosen any city in the country as their Americas headquarters, but they chose Chicago because of the talent pool, infrastructure and stability,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel, in a press release. “The HERE Americas headquarters will be a strong addition to Chicago’s business community, and we look forward to their continued long-term investment and job creation in Chicago.”
