The new headquarters for Diversified — a Portland-based trade show and media company — features an “activity-based working” model, giving employees a choice of settings to match the task at hand rather than a single assigned desk.
Diversified recently cut the ribbon at 2 Portland Square, at a leased space in the city’s Old Port neighborhood. An open house with the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce drew more than 75 guests.
“We think in decades, not quarters, and that shapes how we invest in our people, our workspace, and the communities we serve,” said Ted Wirth, Diversified’s CEO.
Multi-floor renovation
The company moved its headquarters from 121 Free St., half a mile east.
The Free Street location was much larger at 61,400 square feet, but its chopped-up layout made it untenable, the company has said.
The 2 Portland Square space spans 34,000 square feet across portions of the second, third and fourth floors, designed with themes of Maine’s woods and waters. The space serves as the home base for the company’s 276 Portland employees, half of whom work on a hybrid schedule.
The project included a multi-floor renovation led by owner’s representative Todd Valentine of Real Asset Services LLC, Portland architect and interior designer Canal 5 Studio, Freeport general contractor Zachau Construction, real estate advisor and brokerage the Boulos Co.
New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, which has an office in Portland, was the structural engineer. and New Hampshire-based RFS Engineering provided mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering, lighting design and audiovisual design.
The office features five large conference rooms, nine medium-sized conference rooms, 21 individual focus rooms and 20 private offices. An outdoor patio is expected to break ground later this summer.
“We’re in the business of bringing global business communities together through in-person events and digital media,” said Liz Plizga, Diversified’s president.
The hybrid model reflects both flexibility and in-person collaboration, said Quincy Hentzel, president and CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The ribbon was cut at the top of the building’s interior staircase.
Founded in 1949, the company’s portfolio includes divisions across the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada, as well as Pri-Med, an educational consultant in Boston. Including Portland employees, the company has over 500 employees worldwide.
The third-generation family-owned business produces more than 100 business-to-business trade events, conferences and 18 digital websites across multiple industries.
