The Herald Business Journal


YOUR COUNTY.	YOUR BUSINESS JOURNAL.

Published July 2001

High-tech tools will connect Sparling employees, clients

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

The first tenant in Lynnwood Corporate Center II, Sparling Inc., shouldn't ever have to complain to the landlord about the sophisticated wiring, telecommunications and fiber-optic networks in the building.

After all, Sparling — a growing Seattle electrical engineering and technology consulting firm — did the installing, working with Verizon Northwest to create the telecom company's first "smart" building in the region, designed to provide the infrastructure for futuristic office operations.

"We had no idea at the time it was built that we would ever be a tenant here," said Sparling CEO Jim Duncan, grinning.

"For a long time, we have consulted clients on technological innovations for the office place of tomorrow. Now, with this building, we have a great opportunity to put that advice into practice through a network of seamless communications and collaborative tools that will free us from the office and give us choices about where we work. These tools will be especially useful for meetings with out-of-town clients and for our telecommuting staff," he said.

Sparling has moved five of its eight design studios into the top two floors of the Lynnwood Corporate Center II at 4100 194th St. SW in Lynnwood, retaining the 14th floor of the office building at its Seattle location at 720 Olive Way. Sparling considered other locations south and east of Seattle but found Lynnwood was most central for the majority of its employees.

Eighty percent of the Lynnwood employees will have a shorter commute or a hassle-free reverse commute from King County, he said. Duncan is particularly excited about the Internet-based desktop teleconferencing systems linking both offices through video cameras on individual computers.

"Each of our employees will be able to see their counterparts as they work with them in Seattle, as well as many of our (camera-equipped) clients elsewhere in the world," he said. "Through our messaging and communications network, our staff can experience one of the latest business trends, 'hoteling.' Whether they work in Lynnwood or Seattle, there will be desks, phones and computers available to them that can be linked to their own e-mail and message systems.

"Plus, the system has enough bandwidth to let teams work collaboratively on the same computer documents simultaneously," said Duncan, who envisions the same network also benefiting telecommuting employees who frequently work in their homes part of each week.

Also, a high-tech video-conferencing room equipped for surround sound, television, movies, computer programs and DVD in the Lynnwood office center will deliver the company's 150 annual technology classes to employees, clients, the University of Washington or other locations.

"We've developed these systems for our client. Now we have a chance to use them ourselves, which will make our own business more efficient and also give us firsthand experience that will help us to design even better systems," Duncan said.

One of the company's major market targets is the health-care industry, where it already has extensive experience, enough experience to know that "health-care facilities spend millions on high-tech equipment and computer systems that don't speak to each other. … We're telling administrators they need to look at how they can provide instant access to related patient information through an integrated system," he said.

Although Sparling will continue to maintain both its Seattle and Lynnwood offices, the rising rents, traffic congestion and space limitations in Seattle mean that future growth for the company will be planned for its Lynnwood facility, Duncan said.

That's just fine for people like Lynnwood City Council member Loren Simmonds.

"Sparling is the type of employer the city is working very hard to attract and retain through its economic development initiative," Simmonds said. "Sparling has an outstanding reputation and is a wonderful resource for Lynnwood."

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