When Funko moved to downtown Everett, the urban core of the city officially housed the headquarters of a local business with a global reach. At the time, Skotdal Real Estate was in the process of renovating the old Opus Bank building, to make available for potential businesses a modern, refreshed office building. One ready to take on the task of another large, dynamic company, should they make their way to the northwest corner of Hewitt and Colby.
And one has. A branch of Otak, presently located at 2731 Wetmore, is making the leap across the street to Pioneer Place at 2828 Colby. Fittingly, the building’s new name, Pioneer Place, is a reflection of Everett’s history as an enterprising mill town, where pioneers came to put down roots for the promise of building futures and community.
Otak, Inc., has more than 35 years of experience under their belt and is an award-winning engineering, urban design, architecture, planning and project management firm. They specialize in everything from transportation infrastructure, water/natural resources, and landscape architecture, both nationally and internationally. They have 380 employees across their multiple branches, and have had a community presence in Everett since 2008.
Community Transit Swift BRT Green Line (Designed by the Otak Team)”.
With more room to grow, this branch of Otak can further strengthen the city’s economic base, said Nico Vanderhorst, the Otak principal. “The ability to be part of the bigger picture for the city, combined with the opportunity presented at Pioneer Place, offers exciting possibilities for creating a new home for our Everett teams to be able to continue to serve the community where they live, work and play.”
The new Otak offices are set for completion by February 2020 and represent the fifth tenant to occupy the building.
“We co-located staff just before the holidays and it’s actually been great to have everyone reconnecting; we are a people company and this is a chance to strengthen those bonds. Since our work really depends on integrating various expertise on nearly every project, our clients won’t experience any difference for the couple months of transition,” noted Vanderhorst. Lastly, the Otak team shared that the renewed relationship with the Skotdal realty team was critical in their move, allowing them to move quickly to accommodate their growth and the speed of the move.
