Employees at Intergraph in Huntsville will finish moving into the company’s new $58 million headquarters this month — culmination of a commitment by one of Alabama’s premier high tech companies to its home place.
“We looked at Houston and Atlanta. But we realized early on that the legacy of Intergraph is very clearly linked to Huntsville, and Huntsville has a legacy that is a bit unique to Alabama, with high technology and a well-educated work force, and this company was built from that, ” says Ola Rollén, president and CEO of Hexagon, Intergraph’s parent brand. “We want to recruit new, young talent, which already exists here.”
On Oct. 20, a “New Traditions Start Here” themed celebration was held for Intergraph’s 45th anniversary and dedication of the five-story, 250, 000-square-foot building with its glass exterior, open workspaces, bright colors, lakeside terraces, and electric vehicle charging stations. It will be the first time all of the company’s 1, 100 employees work under one roof.
“We knew we had to shape up from the start, ” Rollén says. Since the company started, it has been located in 1970s era barracks style buildings with few windows. “It was a dump.”
Rollén talks about a highly recruited candidate who called and canceled her interview and went home after she got to Huntsville and saw the Intergraph facilities.
“We will never be refused for that reason again, ” Rollén says. The company is focused on the future by building on its past.
Employees began moving into the new facility in phases at the end of October.
Intergraph is a leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data with intelligent maps, assets and infrastructure technologies for businesses and government organizations. Hexagon is a Swedish-based, leading global measurement technology company, which acquired Intergraph in 2010.
“I’m confident this new space will foster innovation and camaraderie, ” Rollén says. “The building is a testament to Hexagon’s commitment to Intergraph and the Madison County business community.”
Text by Wendy Reeves
