By Steven Gorup and David Marino

Hughes Marino was recently selected by The Enthusiast Network (TEN) to locate, negotiate, and completely renovate a new office space and tech center that would reflect the core values and vision of the company. Our brokerage and construction management teams were stoked to take on the assignment, and we found the perfect 61,000 square foot space to house TEN, located at 1821 East Dyer Road in Santa Ana, California.

When TEN CEO Scott Dickey first walked through the space, the building had dated, 20-year-old improvements, with traditional high workstation panels, dim lighting, choppy segmentation of departments and inadequate parking. It needed a lot of work before the forward-looking media company could set up shop, but Dickey gave us a clear vision of what he had in mind. He wanted the space to promote collaboration, creativity, and accurately represent the cultural transformation that TEN has gone through over the past year. TEN was looking for a cutting edge workspace that would bring out the best in its team, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest talent to its growing operation.

Working with Interior Architects, TEN limited the number of private offices in the space, opting for a more open, collaborative work environment where even the existing offices don’t have doors to close them off. The necessary private offices are located in the interior core of the space, providing greater numbers of TEN employees with access to the window-line. This is in direct contrast to traditional floor plans where highly coveted ‘corner offices’ with the best views are reserved for upper management and high-level executives only.

The emphasis on creating a space that is comfortable and engaging for employees is exemplified by the large break area adjacent to a roll-up glass garage door, which brings the outdoors inside. In addition, half a dozen “quiet rooms” are available for employees needing to get away and think, to conduct brainstorming sessions with their colleagues, or just to relax for a bit during the day.

TEN’s new space clearly speaks to the heart of its audience – males age 18-34 with a penchant for fast cars and action sports – boasting a 6,000 square foot automotive shop (which required cutting a 2,000 square foot hole in the second floor, mandating significant structural upgrades). TEN’s own incredible photos of muscle cars and surfers were enlarged to become giant wall graphics, offsetting the otherwise neutral color scheme of black, blues and grays – a nod to the corporate brand.

From start to finish, construction on the project took roughly three months, and the end result speaks volumes about the future of The Enthusiast Network. According to Dickey, “Our transformation as a company has been exciting, and this new space represents a physical embodiment of the transformation, and the many changes we’ve made in the past year.”

Our entire team at Hughes Marino couldn’t agree more. The effect TEN’s new space has had on its culture is already clear to see, and we look forward to continuing our work with the company as we renovate and expand its facilities in El Segundo and Carlsbad.