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The atrium of Valvoline's new Lexington headquarters
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The shape of Valvoline's $35 million headquarters building resembles the company's iconic "V."
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Valvoline employees cheer at the new building's dedication ceremony.
Inside the soaring central atrium of Valvoline’s new global headquarters, three storied vehicles bear testament to the company’s 151-year history: a Valvoline-sponsored race car like the one Al Unser Jr. steered to his stunning half-second victory at the 1992 Indianapolis 500; famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88, sporting an early ’80s throwback paint scheme used at a Darlington Raceway event in 2015; and an old-time delivery truck carting a load of bulky oil canisters from a bygone century.
It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that, despite its sleek new digs and newly independent status after the completion of its spin-off from Ashland Global Holdings Inc. on May 15, this is not Valvoline’s first time around the track.
And in many ways, the $35 million, 162,400-square-foot facility on Valvoline Way in Lexington was custom-built to complement and enhance the company’s well-established corporate culture, with a workspace designed to bring Valvoline’s employees together like never before.
The new facility, with an angular, modern design that emulates the company’s iconic V-shaped logo, was made to facilitate employee interactions on every level, said Valvoline CEO Sam Mitchell, with open cubicles, transparent office walls and a variety of casual and formal meeting areas tucked throughout the four-story building.
“In terms of collaboration and teamwork, and even developing relationships and friendships, all of that happens better in this new building,” Mitchell said. “It’s even better than I thought it would be.”
From the spacious first-floor cafeteria with outdoor patio, to the on-site gym with a dedicated space for workout classes and locker room facilities, Valvoline’s new home is designed to make it easy for people to both recharge and connect, said Heidi Matheys, Valvoline’s chief marketing officer.
“It’s been more of an evolution,” said Heidi Matheys, Valvoline’s chief marketing officer, regarding the effect of the new space on Valvoline’s corporate dynamics. “Valvoline has always had a very strong culture and the building reinforces that. Our goal is to make everything we touch run better, and we do it by using our hands-on expertise every day.”
To make sharing that expertise easier, the company incorporated a variety of new technology into the facility as well, including earpieces that allow employees to answer phone calls on the fly and an app-based program that enables quick and easy wireless connection from employee laptops to conference room presentation screens. A drop-in IT help center, located near the second-floor snack bar, allows employees to quickly seek assistance with any tech glitches that might come up.
Added wellness features, such as water bottle filling stations built into the walls and convertible sit-to-stand desks throughout the building, make it easier for employees to stay focused and keep their energy levels up during the day, Matheys said.
And for those times when a little more privacy is necessary, small office nooks, not unlike well-appointed phone booths, allow team members to slip out of earshot to field important calls.
The building also demonstrates the company’s commitment to sustainability, with environmentally friendly features such as high-efficiency lighting with occupancy sensors, the use of structural steel that’s high in recycled content, and water-conserving plumbing fixtures.
The open workstation concept represents a big change from the traditional high-walled office environment in the company’s former building. Some employees were hesitant about the change, Mitchell said, but early feedback has been positive.
“One employee said it feels like a new company,” Mitchell said. “Before, you’d have to make a phone call or send an e-mail or text to try to arrange a meeting and reserve a conference room. Now you can see those people you need every day, and those conversations happen much faster.”
That excitement of the new work environment also coincides with the completion of Valvoline’s separation from its parent company, Ashland Inc.
“Now, as both an independent company and an iconic 150-year-old brand, we are well-positioned for growth in the U.S. and around the world,” Mitchell said in announcing the finalization of the spin-off.
Valvoline has also added new blood to its executive team in the last year. Victor Rios, former global vice president and chief information officer for Johnson & Johnson’s Vision Care and Diabetes Solutions franchises, was named chief information officer and chief digital officer in June 2016. Also that month, Mary Meixelsperger, former chief financial officer for footwear and accessories retailer DSW, joined Valvoline as the company’s new CFO, just prior to the company’s IPO in September, which raised $660 million. Last August, the company hired Sara Stensrud, former executive vice president and chief human resources officer for women’s retailer Chico’s FAS, Inc., as Valvoline’s chief people officer.
The company has identified strong opportunities for growth in both its Valvoline Instant Oil Change (VIOC) business, which has seen some recent expansion, and its international business — especially in China and Latin America.
Back in the Bluegrass, the company has also taken the opportunities presented by its recent milestones to rededicate itself to the Lexington community. In May, the company hosted a Community Celebration that included an extensive garage sale of office furniture and Valvoline logo items, along with a live auction of one-of-a-kind racing memorabilia, which netted an estimated $40,000 for Lexington’s Habitat for Humanity. The company has also maintained its support for a variety of additional local nonprofits, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, the Hope Center and Bluegrass Greensource.
While those philanthropic connections are not new for the company, Valvoline’s new space and independent mindset has brought with it a new visibility of sorts — both around the community and across office corridors, according to Mitchell.
One longtime team member told Mitchell that since they moved into the new building, she has been greeted with multiple introductions from coworkers who mistook her for a new employee.
“She just wasn’t seen before,” Mitchell said. “Now we have a really friendly, fast-moving environment. That’s what makes it all so exciting.”