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Brothers Shep and Ian Murray, chief executive officers and co-founders of vineyard vines, announced the company will move their company headquarters to support the rapid growth of the business. The new office space will be located at 181 Harbor Drive at Shippan Landing, a coastal business park in Stamford, Conn. The move will be effective January 2015 and construction will begin at the 91,040-square-foot waterfront space in August 2014. With the goals of establishing a permanent campus for the growing company, vineyard vines has collaborated with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to promise job creation as part of its upcoming move.
“Our growth has been so exciting and more space is critical to continue to support that growth,” said Shep Murray, vineyard vines CEO and co-founder. “With help from the great teams at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF), George Comfort & Sons, CPG Architects and Jones Lang LaSalle, we found and are outfitting a space that will truly reflect the core values on which we founded and have built vineyard vines.”
“Our new space will reflect our motto & company mantra, ‘Every day should feel this good’,” said Ian Murray, vineyard vines CEO & co-founder. “We always strived to make vineyard vines a great place to work, and we’re thrilled to be able to punctuate that effort this year with our move and new space.”
James Ritman, the NGKF executive vice president and fellow Brunswick student alongside Shep and Ian, worked with vineyard vines and Shippan Landing owner, a partnership involving George Comfort & Sons and Angelo, Gordon & Co., to negotiate the waterfront lease.
“This is an ideal site that resonates the cofounders’ vision and work lifestyle they have spent years building,” said Ritman. “Their employees will thrive in the space the open floor plan affords them along with enjoying the outdoor area beside the waterfront, the same liberating environment that inspired this company.”
vineyard vines is working to design and build out a functional, innovative and welcoming work space that will suit the needs of the growing company and represent the lifestyle for which vineyard vines is best known.
“Priorities for our new office include open workspaces, creative and collaborative spaces for our design teams, varied meeting and conference spaces and work-life amenities like an on-site gym and cafeteria,” said Shep Murray.
Keeping the brand’s headquarters in Connecticut was a priority for not only vineyard vines, but also for the DECD. Through a deal focused on creating 200 new jobs over the next five years, vineyard vines will receive financial assistance from the DECD to put towards the build out of its new office. The announcement of its planned growth through job creation at the Connecticut headquarters is coupled with unprecedented retail growth for the brand, which plans to open 10 stores by year’s end in major markets throughout the U.S.
vineyard vines®, a company best known for its whimsical neckties and smiling pink whale logo, was founded in 1998 on Martha’s Vineyard when brothers Shep and Ian Murray cut their ties with corporate America to start making ties that represented the Good Life. In addition to signature neckwear, vineyard vines offers a variety of clothing and accessories for men, women and children. Products are sold in over 600 specialty and department stores worldwide, through a seasonal catalog at 1.800.892.4982, online at vineyardvines.com and at over 40 freestanding stores.
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with London-based partner Knight Frank and independently-owned offices, NGKF’s 12,000 professionals operate from more than 320 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents.
With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF’s strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. NGKF’s full-service platform comprises BGC’s real estate services segment, offering commercial real estate tenants, landlords, investors and developers a wide range of services including leasing; capital markets services, including investment sales, debt placement, appraisal, and valuation services; commercial mortgage brokerage services; as well as corporate advisory services, consulting, project and development management, and property and corporate facilities management services. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.
NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP), a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial and real estate markets. For further information, visit www.bgcpartners.com.