D&H Distributing, Harrisburg, PA
Murray Associates sustainably designed and transformed two 1980’s buildings and future-proofed them as modern workspaces for D&H Distributing, one of the largest private companies in Pennsylvania. After 100 years of steady staffing growth, D&H needed more space and a modern work environment where they can stay for decades, potentially doubling their staff of 750 people.
Their new campus has two buildings totaling 244,512 designed with contemporary workspaces, collaborative open spaces, meeting rooms, a data center and a Solutions Architects’ Lab that provides hands-on and virtual learning. One of the most requested items that the employees requested was a dimly lit recharge room to relax and unplug for short periods of time. The employees now enjoy a full-service cafeteria with a salad bar and new offerings each day. There are also nine break rooms with refrigerators, toasters, coffee and other features plus a dedicated space for employees to utilize dry cleaning and shipping services and order local produce.
“Izzy’s Game Room”, named after CEO Izzy Schwab, is a vibrant open space for employees to play ping pong, billiards, basketball, video games, eSports and an oversized chess set. The new headquarters has about 100 conference rooms and some are entertainment-themed based on sports, movies, music, games, inventors and superheroes. The new facility has a multimedia studio that will produce live streaming sessions, webcasts and additional educational content.
The existing lobby of the larger building will be opened to the second floor to create a “town hall-like” feel for the employees. A small museum was designed off the main entrance that showcases the company’s past electronic products. The items include vintage Philco and RCA televisions, old Gameboys, large older computers, a Polaroid camera, calculators, a walkman and more.
The amphitheater-style lobby known as “Main Street” has stadium-style seating for around 100 people and a large scale video wall. One of the building’s features that you probably won’t see elsewhere in the area is a spiral slide known as the “Main Street Express” in the lobby that reaches from the second floor down to the first. “Literally on your way out of work you can hop down the slide,” Dan Schwab said. The Schwabs say they were really looking for something to stand out when people come into the new headquarters.
