MISHAWAKA – At the corner of Filbert St. and Park Place in Mishawaka, IN., a wholesale warehouse sat empty and unused for nearly 10 years – that is until recently. On July 15, Pathfinders Advertising moved into the former warehouse and 1250 Park Place became the new home of this national marketing and advertising agency.
“We searched for several years to find the right solution for our growing team,” said Vicky Holland, President of Pathfinders. “Having grown substantially over the past few years and with now close to 40 employees, it was time to find more space. This building sat unoccupied for so long, and really provided the possibilities for what we were looking to do. We wanted to find an existing structure and make it our own.”
Prior to purchasing the building, Pathfinders considered adding onto the agency’s former location at Edison Lakes Parkway or building a new building. In the end, the company kept coming back to the idea of doing what’s right in its community.
“We have been located in the South Bend / Mishawaka area for more than 37 years, and it struck a chord that while we were growing as a company, we could help prevent a really great structure from falling into disrepair,” said Holland. “Taking an existing empty building and rejuvenating it into a vibrant, productive environment allowed us the opportunity to show our community just how invested we are in it.”
Keeping the local mentality at the forefront, Pathfinders utilized a local contractor and laborers to completely renovate the empty warehouse. Pathfinders also sought out ways to be the best stewards of all resources – and went the extra mile to do so. The company donated floor-to-ceiling garage doors to a local business and identified a company halfway across the country that could utilize and refurbish a cooler approximately one fifth the size of the building – so both could be repurposed for use elsewhere and not simply end up in a landfill. The entire project took approximately seven months and on a sunny Friday in July, Pathfinders team members loaded up trucks, trailers and cars to start making history in a new home.
“Since the very beginning, we’ve always tried to do the right thing, by our clients and by our community,” said Steve Ball, Pathfinders Founder and CEO. “The decision to renovate and move was no different. We’re entering a new phase for Pathfinders, and this building puts us in a better position to serve our clients the best we can.”
With much more space than the previous office, the new Pathfinders’ location boasts an open agency environment, which has been used by companies such as Google, to positively affect team collaboration and productivity. Pathfinders also grew from having only one conference room in the former location to now having several meeting spaces for client meetings, team huddles and workplace learning.
In addition, the new building features a studio that allows Pathfinders to perform professional video and photography work onsite. While the agency’s former studio was much smaller, the new space allows for greater time and cost efficiency – both of which are important to clients.
“Pathfinders continues to grow and evolve steadily,” Holland said. “We are proud of the solutions we provide to our clients and of our long-standing client partnerships. This new space will allow us to continue cultivating those partnerships effectively and efficiently. The fact that we were able to rejuvenate something old and make it new again has been an added bonus.”
