The sun shines on a new day for Delaware North

It was just before 7 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2015, and the sun was slowly rising over Western New York, illuminating an architectural gem on Buffalo’s east side – the Buffalo Central Terminal – before revealing the rest of downtown. About 10 hours later, to the west, the setting sun’s orange glow reflected magnificently off Lake Erie.

The sunrise and sunset, of course, are just two of several dramatic views available from Delaware North’s new global headquarters – a stunning, 12-story, glass-faced building at 250 Delaware Avenue.

A majority of headquarters employees arrived at 8 a.m. that day, with the natural light shining bright through each of the four large floor plates occupied by Delaware North’s offices. And with coffee bars on each floor, everyone was also greeted by the smell of fresh coffee.

“It’s exciting and the office space is great,” said Ron Sultemeier, director of new property planning and projects for Delaware North’s gaming business. “Everybody’s pleased with the views – whether you’re looking out over the city or looking out over the river or lake. But it’s also functionality – everything is just really nice.”

Among many features, Delaware North’s headquarters now boasts sit-stand desks – with collaboration encouraged across the board, thanks to an open-concept design in cubicle space and glass-walled offices.

“We have these moveable desks that go up and down, and I’m within an arm’s reach of my co-workers, which really helps with productivity. And we have a wonderful coffee bar,” said Treasury Analyst Will Edge.

The moving process – an 18-month plan managed by Delaware North’s Building Services team, including Building Services Manager Katie Myers and Dan Zimmer, vice president of finance and development – was smooth for employees, who packed crates at the old headquarters and arrived at their new workspace Monday with everything on site.

Zimmer’s Go Team, a group of associates who have volunteered for more than a year to aid with internal communication on the new building, worked Sunday to provide new branded Delaware North coffee mugs, water cups and an information packet on the new building.

“I just had to plug in my power cord, and I was ready to go,” said Chris Jewett, a senior financial analyst for Delaware North’s gaming business.

The plug-and-play aspect of the move is a credit to Delaware North’s Information Technology team, which burned the midnight oil to ensure Monday’s deadline was met. Under the direction of Chief Information Officer Kevin Quinlivan, Delaware North’s corporate IT team worked through the weekend to set up computer docking stations and various pieces of technology.

“It’s magnificent. What a great building,” said Bob Priore, a financial analyst for Delaware North Sportservice. “It’s the fourth building I’ve been in (with Delaware North), and you know what – it’s the best building. I walked in, turned my computer on and everything was connected…good to go.”

Good to go, indeed.

“I love it. It’s amazing…beautiful,” said Senior Recruiter Susan Gembala. “It’s just amazing. Thanks to the Jacobs family for doing this for their employees.”