Most everyone in the Claris Community knew our headquarters as "The Wedge" —a place where employees, customers, and partners created low-code innovation, digital transformation, and company growth. Earlier this month, we said goodbye to the building we called home for more than 3 decades.
People who visited The Wedge knew it was more than a building – that place had a personality. For starters, the building's nickname stemmed from its unique shape because the structure resembled a wedge of cheese, a slice of cake, or a 3D right-angle triangle. Since "The 3D right-angle triangle" wasn’t easy to say, The Wedge nickname was born.
Inside The Wedge
The Wedge's front doors led into a vast atrium filled with foliage, overhead walkways, and a 3-story waterfall feature, in which visitors with keen eyes may have spotted a rubber duck at the top. Covering the atrium was a transparent roof adorned with hundreds of round light bulbs.
Claris was also lucky enough to have its own cafeteria. Friday mornings were a weekly highlight for many employees – that’s when Juan, one of the longstanding chefs at Claris, made his famous Eggs Benedict. While the dish was likely above a recommended daily calorie intake for most of us, there was no denying its tasty popularity. Employees brought in guests, and former employees found their way back to The Wedge to indulge in Juan’s Friday egg goodness.
Looking back at the fun times.
Celebrations have become traditions at Claris – from product releases to employee birthdays. But at Halloween, The Wedge went all out. Departments transformed into haunted houses, and endless potlucks were around every corner. Not only was it a day of fun, but it highlighted our team’s creativity, including making a functional, walkable bridge across the atrium pond. With such engineering skills, you can certainly trust the integrity of your Claris solutions to our innovative employees.
Since The Wedge was near California's Great America amusement park and offered large, outdoor balconies, many Claris employees and their families gathered on the 4th of July for prime viewing of the park’s fireworks. The park also served as a quick way to blow off some steam for many of us. For lunch, we could make it to the park, ride a roller coaster, grab a funnel cake (because ... of course!), and make it back in time to help the next customer in the phone queue.
A bittersweet goodbye.
Despite Claris' legacy to celebrate significant events, The Wedge didn’t get the sendoff it deserved due to COVID-19. No party, no speeches, no fanfare, no riding skateboards down the side of the building, something many of us dreamed of while working there. Most of the employees worked from home for a large chunk of 2020 – only going back during the holidays in small, isolated groups to gather up our personal belongings.
Walking out the doors for the last time was bittersweet, and it was hard to say goodbye to a building filled with so many memories. Our Claris chief executive officer, Brad Freitag, expressed his final farewell, "The naturally lit atrium of the The Wedge simply inspired ideation and innovation for more than 3 decades, and we truly cherish the many milestones accomplished and the rewarding times shared with fellow employees. At the same time, we look forward to taking our agenda of enabling workplace transformation to the new Claris headquarters in Sunnyvale, California."
A new era begins.
As we settle into our new home, we look forward to a new environment that fosters growth, opportunities, and lots of new memories. And the need for a cool building name! Some early (fake) frontrunners are:
- Not The Wedge
- Fred
- The 3D Right-Angle Triangle (hey, maybe it will work for the new building)
If you have an idea for our new building’s nickname or want to share your own story about The Wedge, we'd love to hear from you. Head over to the Community Corner in the Claris Community and share your thoughts with us.