The WD-40 Company has been reinventing itself ever since its founders figured out that the solvents and degreasers they were creating for the aerospace industry might also be useful to consumers with squeaky doors and rusty lawnmowers.
While WD-40’s worldwide workforce has grown from 3 to 450 over the years, and its product mix has expanded well beyond that flagship lubricant in the blue and yellow can, its San Diego headquarters had been stuck in a bygone era until last August, when they moved from the Morena District to a two-story, 42,000-square-foot building in Scripps Ranch.
Hughes Marino did the real estate and construction management, ID Studios designed the interior, and IES Communications installed the latest in connectivity, including Cisco Spark Boards for wireless video and audio conferencing.
The open floor plan lends itself to collaboration, innovation, and even relaxation for the local staff of 120, says company spokeswoman Wendy Kelley. Industrial design elements evoke some of the fields that use WD-40 products, like the automotive and aviation industries.
For all that’s modern about the new HQ, there are also nods to WD-40’s legacy. The steps of the central staircase are painted with “Rocket Chemical Company 1953,” then numbered 1 through 40 to represent the 40 attempts it took chemists to get that first water displacement (WD) formula to work. The final stair step says “Success!” below a black-and-white photo of the original company building.
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