Design work on new space by Ware Malcomb includes amenites to attract employees back to office

By Ron Davis – Reporter, Phoenix Business Journal.

Tenant improvements are complete on a new headquarters for a local tech unicorn.

Scottsdale-based Lessen Inc. will stay within the city but has moved offices from 4021 N. 75th Street into the Portales Corporate Center I at 4800 N. Scottsdale Road. More than 80 employees made the move into the 42,000-square-foot office.

The new space spans two half floors joined by a staircase and includes amenities such as a speakeasy-style executive lounge area, a library space and a coffee bar. Employees will be able to work within new enclosed offices, collaboration spaces, a training room, huddle and phone rooms. The office has two break rooms as well.

Lessen, a property technology company that connects landlords to service providers, said through a spokesperson that the renovations “modernized the office and created a work environment curated to Lessen’s office culture.”

The build-out of the new headquarters was done by general contractor Stevens- Leinweber Construction while the design was done by architecture firm Ware Malcomb.

“Lessen wanted a large space that would be attractive to teammates as they return to an office environment,” said Lynne Orlowski, director of interior architecture and design for Ware Malcomb, in a statement. “This office reflects energy, fun and collaboration and exemplifies Lessen’s brand.”

Lessen declined to disclose the cost of the renovations and the timeline for completion.

The Portales Corporate Center is made up of two buildings at 4800 and 4900 N. Scottsdale Road on the southwest corner of Chaparral and Scottsdale roads. Building one is nearly 288,000 square feet while the second building is comprised of about 176,000 square feet, according to commercial real estate database LoopNet.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Chris Walker, Mike Beall and Jeffrey Wentworth are the listing brokers for the Portales Corporate Center, which carries an asking lease rate of $42 per square foot across open available spaces, according to their listing. Portales Corporate Center’s asking rate outpaces the average asking rate across all classes in the South Scottsdale submarket of $35.97 per square foot, according to a Q2 2023 office market report from Cushman & Wakefield.

Bryce Terveen of CBRE Group Inc. represented Lessen in its move to the Portales Corporate Center.

The office campus is owned by Iowa-based Principal Real Estate Investors, according to the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office. It is located just north of Scottsdale Fashion Square mall and Optima Camelview Village.
The venture-backed Lessen reached unicorn status — meaning it has a valuation of more than $1 billion — in 2021 after raising $170 million in a series B round led by Fifth Wall with additional participation from Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst and Navitas Capital, the Business Journal previously reported.

Earlier this year, Lessen acquired Chicago-based facilities maintenance technology firm SMS Assist in a deal valued at $950 million.

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