The Milwaukee Fortress Building in the heart of Milwaukee’s Brewers Hill neighborhood will be Mueller Communications' future home.
The firm will occupy more than 8,200 square-feet of space on the development’s ground level and will also have access to approximately 1,000 square-feet of special event and meeting space. Additionally, the building boasts an array of amenities that will be available to Mueller Communications’ staff including a club room, courtyard, fitness centers, roof deck, a fenced-in dog run and a creative workshop.
“The new office space, which will be built out to our specifications, will be a smart, intentional and modern use of space,” said Lori Richards, CEO of Mueller Communications. “As the agency continues to evolve, the space enables amenity and technology updates that will allow us to continue to attract and retain the best and brightest communications and marketing professionals.”
The firm has outgrown its current office space, a historic mansion on Milwaukee’s East Side it has called home for more than 15 years. Mueller Communications has grown to a staff of nearly 30, and a client roster of more than 100 organizations from a wide range of industries and geographies.
“Our goal was to find a space that met the needs of our current and future workforce and that reflects who we are as an organization,” said James Madlom, CEO of Mueller Communications. “The Fortress is in the heart of Milwaukee; it is a historic redevelopment project and it instantly felt like the right place to continue to grow the business.”
New Location The Latest Evolution of Longstanding PR Firm
Founded in 1985 by namesake H. Carl Mueller, Mueller Communications initially specialized in media relations and public affairs. While the firm continues those services today, they are now part of a broader, more comprehensive approach to communications and marketing that has fueled the firm’s growth.
Under the leadership of James Madlom and Lori Richards, who were named CEOs and majority owners in 2020 after becoming partners in 2015, the firm has invested in and quickly grown its 360-degree approach to communications.
Today, among its long, diverse list of services, the firm boasts robust design, video and digital marketing expertise. These comprehensive marketing solutions are a reflection of firm leadership’s intentional, cohesive decision to provide clients with an innovative, full-service approach to communications and marketing.
Plans Anticipate Desire to Be In-Person, Need for Flexibility
For years, flexibility has been a pillar of Mueller Communications’ workplace culture. The COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrated the need for hybrid work options and smart, flexible office space.
“For our team and our work, having shared office space is an essential part of our success,” said Richards. “We excel at what we do because of our collaborative culture. We’ve resisted the notion of vertical silos in our agency, and this space reinforces that we are all on the same team, in the same space, working across disciplines to problem solve for our clients. There are elements of that dynamic you just can’t fully replicate remotely.”
Today, firm employees are given the flexibility to work remotely, but in practice, the majority of the firm’s employees opt to be in person regularly, preferring to leverage remote work as it makes sense for them based on personal preferences, schedules and workloads.
“We send out regular office surveys to gauge staff comfort level and desire to work in person,” said Madlom. “It’s very clear that part of the appeal of being on this team, and I believe one of the drivers of our excellent results, is the people you get to work alongside.”
Firm leadership is developing a build-out plan with this in mind, with plans to relocate in early 2022. The Milwaukee Fortress was rehabilitated by The Alexander Company and opened in 2019. JP Cullen is serving as the general contractor for Mueller Communications’ project, Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) is the architect. Colliers served as Mueller Communications’ broker for the project.