Hartford Business Journal

22 Hartford Business Journal • April 8, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com 'Silicon Valley in the Farmington Valley' By Joe Cooper jcooper@hartfordbusiness.com A von-based iDevices, a smart home technology company, has transformed a local industrial facility into its new 48,000-square-foot innovation hub. The company, which develops and sells smart switches, plugs, sockets, outlets, thermostats and other devices, spent $6 million renovating a former manufacturing space at 50 Tower Lane in Avon to be its new home. The site resembles a tech operation one might see in Silicon Valley, accord- ing to Andrew Ragali, iDevices' senior marketing manager. Along with new electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, the sprawling inno- vation hub houses executive offices and several collaborative workspaces for soft- ware engineers and app developers. It also has a mini massage and salon parlor, video game room, pool tables, bar, fitness area and cafeteria with an in-house chef. "It's Silicon Valley in the Farmington Valley," Ragali said. Rather than try to describe iDevice's unique workplace, we've decided the best way to tell this story is by allow- ing readers to see it for themselves, with an array of photos. IDevices was founded by President Christopher Allen in 2009 and has been rapidly expanding its product line and workforce since being ac- quired by Shelton-based manufacturer Hubbell Inc. in 2017, Ragali said. Its 100-plus employees relocated from the company's former headquar- ters at 136 Simsbury Road. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED "The Byte" is iDevices' cafeteria, which includes two in-house chefs. A dilapidated delivery truck (below) was refurbished, cut in half and installed as the serving area where employees pick up breakfast, lunch or dinner — similar to a food truck. A mural of Hartford's Bushnell Park is nearby. The front end of the office includes executive offices with glass doors, which reflects the company's transparency and open-door policy. This area also includes open- area desks, which can be adjusted so employees can stand or sit while they work. Several shipping containers were retrofitted throughout the building as meeting spaces, offices, and even private rooms. A gym with free weights, machines, treadmills and more was built into the office to give employees a place to focus on their health before or after work. The game room includes an arcade system, and multiple table games like pool and pingpong. At the center of the building is a large green space where employees can meet, play chess, or enjoy any number of "yard" games during after-work happy hours or events.

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