(CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA) – Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today the signing of two leases with Symend and Userful at First Tower in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a total of 105,000 square feet.
Symend, one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America, has signed a lease for 79,000 square feet. The Calgary, Canada-based company will take occupancy in January 2021.
“The employee-focused approach of First Tower’s highly differentiated amenities and progressive office floor buildouts are some of the key characteristics that brought us to First Tower,” said Hanif Joshaghani, co-founder and CEO of Symend. “With places to collaborate, socialize and exercise built-in, this state-of-the-art environment helps us attract and retain the best talent in the market as we continue to grow our business.”
Userful, the leading visual networking platform for enterprise clients in the world, has also signed a lease at First Tower. The Calgary, Canada-based company leased 26,000 square feet and moved into the building in August.
“Hines’ focus on providing our employees with the highest level of health, safety and wellness at First Tower, especially in light of COVID-19, was a key factor in our decision to relocate to First Tower,” said John Marshall, CEO of Userful. “We looked at many buildings in the market, but chose First Tower for Hines’ flexibility, attention to detail and ability to create an environment that fosters work-life balance for our employees.”
First Tower, a 730,200-square-foot, LEED® EB:O&M Gold building located in Calgary’s Downtown East submarket, offers tenants an innovative built environment in which to work. The recently redeveloped and refurbished 27-story building features a brand-new 34,000-square-foot employee-focused amenity floor on the Plus 15 level. This floor includes a tenant lounge and collaboration area; an activated outdoor terrace; a spa-quality fitness and wellness center; and a best-in-class modular conference facility. With efficient, easily configurable floorplates, attractive sightlines and a convenient location with unobstructed river views, First Tower is office space that puts people first.
“Our sole focus at First Tower has been on meeting and exceeding our tenants’ objectives – namely the safety, wellness and happiness of their employees while at the same time delivering on efficiency and value including the lowest Class A additional rent in the Downtown Calgary,” said Hines Senior Managing Director, Syl Apps. “We are pleased that two high-quality, fast-growing tech firms of the caliber of Symend and Userful have recognized the value proposition and chosen to partner with us at First Tower.”
About Symend
Symend is transforming the debt recovery industry by treating individuals with empathy and dignity at the time when they need it most. Combining behavioral science with advanced AI, data, and analytics capabilities, Symend’s customer engagement platform enables service providers and financial institutions to develop positive, individualized treatment programs for their at-risk customers. By approaching past-due customers with both evidence-based insight and compassion, Symend’s clients experience higher cure rates and reduced costs while building long-term relationships with customers and lifelong value for their companies and brands. Symend: The science of engagement.™
About Userful
Userful is the leading visual networking platform for the enterprise. Organizations in just about every industry—from transportation to telecommunications, from healthcare to hospitality—in more than 100 countries have deployed Userful to drive intelligent displays from video walls to digital signs to locked down kiosks and beyond. Userful's solutions facilitate centralized management of the visual network, improve scalability and security and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO).
About Hines
Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 225 cities in 25 countries. Hines has approximately $144.1 billion of assets under management, including $75.5 billion for which Hines serves as investment manager, including non-real estate assets, and $68.6 billion for which Hines provides third-party property-level services. The firm has 165 developments currently underway around the world. Historically, Hines has developed, redeveloped or acquired 1,426 properties, totaling over 472 million square feet. The firm’s current property and asset management portfolio includes 576 properties, representing over 246 million square feet. With extensive experience in investments across the risk spectrum and all property types, and a pioneering commitment to sustainability, Hines is one of the largest and most-respected real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.
