“[Davies] was such a home run. It was not even funny. The pricing was better. The executives felt that the furniture was more solid and of a higher quality than the other stuff. And then you’re also doing something good for the environment. It didn’t take much to make that decision.”
About Plymouth Rock Assurance
Plymouth Rock Assurance is a major auto, home, and property insurance provider in the Northeast. It’s a member of the Plymouth Rock Group of Companies, which was founded in 1982 by Jim Stone and now writes and manages more than $1 billion in premiums, with offices in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida.
Plymouth Rock Assurance employs about 1,500 people in the Northeast, with 1,100 working in New Jersey — more than 650 of which now work in the new Woodbridge, New Jersey, office.
** In combination with the Plymouth Rock Group of Companies.
Industry:
Assurance
Location:
Woodbridge, NJ
Number of Employees:
650+ Employees*
Annual Revenue:
> $1 billion**
Challenge
With a lease expiring in spring 2018, Plymouth Rock Assurance was faced with a decision about its future — one that blossomed into a golden opportunity. Management saw the situation as a way to address some larger challenges for the organization: Moving north would bring the office closer to executive talent in New York City and Jersey City; plus, it would be closer to North Jersey mass transit. The new office would be a regional hub, serving as a launchpad for growth into other states.
Last but not least, Plymouth was eager to modernize their entire office design. However, in order to realize the company’s vision of a New Jersey headquarters, Plymouth Rock Assurance would need office consolidation of two facilities in Red Bank, New Jersey, and move operations — and more than 650 employees — about 25 miles north to the new location in Woodbridge.
Solution
Davies Office worked with Plymouth Rock Assurance to design and furnish their new space with high-quality remanufactured office furniture
Over the course of nine months, Davies Office worked closely with Plymouth Rock Assurance to design and furnish their Woodbridge facilities as part of their office consolidation project. There were some new elements, but Plymouth Rock mostly opted for remanufactured office furniture, much of it acquired from a previous job that Davies had done for the company, defraying the cost through Davies’ sustainable exchange banking service.
Davies worked with Plymouth Rock from start to finish
But the real Davies difference was in working hand in hand with Plymouth to capture the design and feel they were hoping to achieve. “We went through all the details of every piece of furniture we were putting in this space,” says Tracy Taylor, now a facilities supervisor with Plymouth Rock Assurance.
Davies took care of all office space design
“Using an initial floor plan drawn up by Plymouth Rock’s architect, Davies’ design team painstakingly selected each piece of office furniture and worked with the client to custom design it to fit within the architect’s space. “We didn’t have to have anyone else come in and weigh in on different things,” says Jack Paul, director of facilities, administration, and business continuity for Plymouth Rock. Taylor adds, “Their install team is awesome.”
Davies made Plymouth Rock’s transition into their new space easy & painless
Perhaps most importantly, though, Davies Office managed the complicated, phased transition and workplace consolidation of Plymouth Rock’s call centers without disrupting business operations. “We ended up moving in here in about, I don’t know, 10, 15 different phases,” Paul says. “They didn’t miss a thing.”
Why did Plymouth Rock Assurance choose Davies Office?
Plymouth Rock Assurance put together a “fairly comprehensive RFP” for Davies and three other major furniture dealers at the outset of their office consolidation, Paul says. He and Taylor had used Davies Office for previous jobs and had been impressed with the attention to detail and excellent customer service, but Davies would have to convince the Plymouth Rock executives. At the end of the day, Davies prevailed. How? “It was really two very simple reasons,” Paul says. “They were the best price, and everybody liked the quality.”
Services Provided
✔ Office design & space planning
✔ Asset Allocation & Management
✔ Exchange Banking
Results
20% to 30% savings on office furniture and design expenses
Plymouth Rock Assurance saved between 20% and 30% by giving the contract to Davies Office to furnish their Woodbridge facilities with remanufactured office furniture, according to Paul. Still, as fantastic as the savings were, the Facilities Group at Plymouth Rock were just as impressed with the modernized look and feel of their newly redesigned New Jersey hub. “The overall comment from the executives was really outstanding,” Paul says. “It’s a cleaner, more professional-looking workspace.”
“We wouldn’t know what to do without [the Davies team]. They’re really top-notch. Even when they’re busy all over the country, they’re a phone call away for anything at any time, day or night. You just don’t get that from everybody.”
