Upon entering the lobby of Midwest Energy and Communications (MEC), the client experience truly begins.

MIDWEST ENERGY AND COMMUNICATIONS; CASSOPOLIS, MI | Visitors are greeted in the “Internet of Things (IOT) Room,” which sports the latest high-tech gadgets. Why? Providing electricity and high-speed internet to rural areas is part of what MEC does every day, and MEC employees use the IOT room to introduce their clients to the possibilities high-speed internet affords, like connecting to an Amazon Alexa, colored smart lights, and even a smart crockpot.

Patty Nowlin, vice president of corporate communications, contends that MEC’s culture has always been strong—but a sparkling new building helped. “The new space has made things a little easier, but I think that the culture is still the same,” she observes. “The people didn’t change. It’s just that now we have the ability to work more efficiently and more effectively.”

Indeed, when MEC relocated to its sleek, hyper-modern headquarters, the move opened up many options for its team. Adjustable standing desks, tech-equipped collaboration stations, and both private and group workstations now offer a palette of workspaces for team members to complement the advanced technology available throughout. “My standing desk is my absolute favorite!” says Sergio Moreno, a technical solutions agent. “But sometimes I do get a joke here and there, like, ‘You’re such a stand-up guy.’” MEC employees can even connect their laptop to a mounted screen to begin an impromptu meeting, check into the private and aptly named “Get ‘R Done Room,” or set their laptop on a treadmill desk to get moving.

Patty says that the new space was intentionally designed to give team members varying spaces to work to accommodate different work styles and daily demands while also bringing them together in a new way. Goal accomplished!