REI Selects Issaquah For 1st Satellite Office

ISSAQUAH, WA — REI has chosen Issaquah to host its first satellite office, which will serve as a sounding board for the co-op's decentralized corporate future.

Last August, the REI announced it would permanently shift to a hybrid model, selling its newly completed Bellevue headquarters in favor of several smaller sites and encouraging more remote work even after the pandemic is over. CEO Eric Artz said the events of 2020 caused leadership to rethink the entire business model, including "where and how we work."

On Wednesday, REI unveiled plans to build its first satellite office on Northwest Poplar Way in Issaquah, which will have space for up to 400 employees once the coronavirus crisis has concluded. However, the new model will allow for most employees to continue working from home, up to five days a week.

"We believe the future of work is much more fluid," said Chris Putur, an executive vice president at REI. "We're building the future around the work that needs to get done, and creating flexible, agile and inclusive aways to deliver innovation for our customers — and we no longer believe we need a traditional office model to do so."

In a news release Thursday, REI said while some roles will require the use of physical office space, the majority of employees will have flexibility in choosing work plans that best fit their needs.

"This will require us to adopt a completely different way of thinking, as we design a model that ensures every employee is just as engaged, connected and productive, whether they're working from a home, improvised or REI office," Putur said. "We see incredible possibility in this future — and we're giving ourselves space to go explore it."

REI said the Issaquah location was chosen in part due to its proximity to trail networks, with good access to public transit and Interstate 90. The first location will serve as a test site for a model that will be used at several other satellite locations around Puget Sound in the future.

Here are the details on the Issaquah location:

• Developer: Rowley Properties
• Address: 2005 NW Poplar Way, Issaquah
• Square footage: 68,876
• Capacity: up to 400 people at a time, post-pandemic