Recently, the 25-story Lowe’s Tech hub officially opened with a week-long celebration in the South End of Charlotte, N.C., an area which has been drawing a host of companies over the last few years.
Lowe’s was among the first large companies to either build or move to the area. Now, it has a best-in-class technology center serving as a center of excellence for up to 2,000 tech associates.
The Hub’s environment is designed around innovation and collaboration, featuring nine workspace floors arranged in a series of 13 flexible “pods”, as well as five amenity floors that include an innovation lab, a Big Room Planning multipurpose room and multiple game and social hub spaces.
Floor 25 – top of the tower - includes a large event and activity space that opens onto a rooftop terrace with a spectacular view of the Charlotte skyline.
The week of celebrations included a media tour where local media had the opportunity to talk with Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president, chief digital and information officer, as well as take personalized tours of the now completed space.
“Today’s workforce wants to walk to work, bike to work or ride the light rail,” Godbole said. “They want to be able to take a lunch break and pop into neighborhood restaurants. They also want a workplace that has open collaboration spaces that inspire them, and they want the neighborhood around them to do the same. South End — the community, the sense of place, our center — really encourages that type of culture and creativity.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony concluded a VIP event, which was attended by Charlotte poet Jay Ward, Mayor Vi Lyles, UNC Charlotte Chancellor, Sharon Gaber, Congresswoman Alma Adams, and other local dignitaries and business leaders.
“This is a big and exciting day for us here at Lowe’s. We started dreaming about this back in 2018 when I joined the company,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO.
“We made the investment here because technology is the future of retail, and we knew we had to be cutting edge to compete and to take market share.”
The week also saw a 600-person, associate-led community impact project, building more than 10,000 STEAM kits for Charlotte-Mecklenburg students. These kits feature build-your-own Raspberry Pi computers, circuitry projects, and more to spark interest and give exposure to the vast array of technology sectors and careers.
Hundreds of technology associates were welcomed to an appreciation event that featured food from many local restaurants, along with vendor booths, prizes, and giveaways.