Bell Works at 101 Crawfords Corner Road in Holmdel — Courtesy: Bell Works
By Joshua Burd
A software firm with a fully remote workforce has leased 25,000 square feet at Holmdel’s Bell Works complex, seeking to create a hub for in-person meetings and collaboration.
Somerset Development, the owner of the 2 million-square-foot property, announced Tuesday that CentralReach will relocate to the site from its current office in Matawan. In doing so, the tenant figures to maintain its remote-first work policy for its team of nearly 400, but will complement that approach with a highly flexible, technology-rich space that promotes face-to-face interaction and communication with those off-site.
Founded in 2012, CentralReach is a fast-growing provider of electronic medical record software and services for applied behavior analysis and related behavioral health practices.
“Our company has continued to grow at an impressive rate over the last few years, despite the challenges of being forced to suddenly adopt a fully remote work model,” CentralReach CEO Chris Sullens said. “While we’re proud of our sustained growth over the years, we also came to recognize the importance of a physical space that could facilitate collaboration between all our employees, regardless of where they are working. We immediately recognized that Bell Works was the right setting to turn that vision to reality, and we are incredibly excited to begin a new era of expansion at the metroburb.”
CentralReach is building the space in tandem with Somerset, G3 Architects and Bell Works Creative Director Paola Zamudio and her team at NPZ Style + Decor, seeking to create a forward-looking workspace. Plans call for an open and highly configurable floorplan, with roughly half of the space dedicated to collaborative work, while meeting rooms and other areas will be outfitted with televisions and other equipment to facilitate seamless communication between employees present in the office and those working remotely.
According to a news release, Zamudio has also designed a space focused on encouraging innovation and wellness to align with Central’s mission of improving behavioral health. That means distinctive and colorful layouts and the use of plants and other sustainable materials.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have placed the health and wellbeing of our staff over productivity and co-location,” Sullens said. “As we listened to our employees through surveys and other forums, it became clear that a ‘remote-first hybrid’ environment was the one that staff overwhelmingly felt balanced their health and wellbeing with the productivity we need to deliver for our customers.
“I truly believe our new space at Bell Works, in conjunction with our remote-first hybrid approach, is the perfect complement to foster the advantages of in-person collaboration while still offering the advantages of remote work.”
The firms noted that CentralReach’s revenue has grown by more than 700 percent since 2018. It also plans to exit 2022 with a team of almost 500, which represents an increase of more than 400 employees in three years, as it invests in expanding its footprint to build leadership positions in the global autism and intervertebral differential dynamics therapy, special education and neurodiversity employment markets.
The company expects to move to Bell Works in late summer 2022, making it among the newest users at the restored and repurposed former Bell Labs campus on Crawfords Corner Road.
“Collaboration and innovation have always been at the heart of our vision for Bell Works, and we’re proud to welcome a company like CentralReach that is embracing these values to fuel its evolution and adapt to a fast-changing new era,” said Ralph Zucker, CEO and president Somerset Development. “Together, we’re creating a new model for the office of the future, which can serve as a guide for so many other businesses as they navigate both a return to the office and the enduring demand for remote work.”
