In the midst of aggressive hiring plans, Klipfolio is moving into the former theatre space at the World Exchange Plaza later this year.
The Ottawa-based business dashboard developer has been in its current location at 176 Gloucester St. since 2004. As the company grew, it expanded into adjacent spaces on the second and third floors.
In an interview, Klipfolio president and CEO Allan Wille told OBJ that the company is “at capacity” in its current offices, and will likely need to take even more spillover space before the move takes place in October or November.
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Fresh off a $12-million series-B investment round, Klipfolio is aiming to hire between 40 and 45 people this year alone. At an event to mark an office expansion a year and a half ago, Mr. Wille predicted – accurately, it turned out – the need for another move by early 2017.
The World Exchange Plaza movie theatre space has been empty since 2013 when Empire Theatres’ lease expired. The building owners then applied to have the theatres converted for office use.
Mr. Wille says the space now features a large, continuous space with leveled floors. The location contains 24,000 square feet of office space. Klipfolio will take up 17,000 square feet of the new space, with first right to refusal on the remaining area if the need for further expansion arises. Mr. Wille says there’s enough capacity in the new space for 120 employees “and beyond.”
The plaza, which occupies the block bordered by O’Connor, Queen, Metcalfe and Albert streets, is a short walk from Klipfolio’s current location, and as such, Mr. Wille couldn’t resist a bit of fun when he revealed the final decision at an all-staff meeting earlier this month.
“We said, OK, ‘Who knows where the World Exchange building is? Grab your coats and jackets and let’s head over there.’”
Mr. Wille says the staff are regularly surveyed about location, and most are excited about the accessibility of downtown and nearby amenities like restaurants within walking distance.
The high availability of downtown office space also contributed to the decision to remain in the core, as Mr. Wille says landlords were very willing to accommodate Klipfolio’s fit-up costs and other transition needs.
Last week, Klipfolio also announced a new chief financial officer in Kenneth MacAskill, who previously served as CFO and CEO at Recognia, a Nepean-based financial analytics firm.
