15 Dec Adidas Expands North American Headquarters
Adidas announced the expansion of its North American headquarters with the purchase of a building next to its existing campus in North Portland.
“We are growing,” said Adidas Group North America President Mark King. “Our business is up, we’re seizing opportunity and we’re expanding our visibility in America. Our rapid growth is driven by our aspiration to be the face of sports culture in America. Every day, our team comes to work to create and bring to life the best shoes, apparel and equipment for athletes. We are creating what’s new, creating what consumers want next. We are making the most innovative products for athletes and we are doing it with an inspired approach that includes collaborators of all kind. We are inviting those with a creative mindset to be part of our brand. People are joining us because they want to be part of what’s next.”
The Adidas brand reported an 11 percent growth in North America in the third quarter and was up 8 percent for the first 9 months. The Portland office is now home to nearly 1,200 employees, up from approximately 850 last year. There is growth across nearly every department, including design, marketing and operations. There are currently more than 100 job openings at the Portland location.
“Our people are helping to lead change for our industry,” said King. “Our strategy in America is not to simply get incrementally better year over year. We want to move mountains. To do that, we are creating an internal culture of innovation to drive large-scale change. Innovation has always been at the heart of Adidas – focused on product. Today, our employees in North America are taking that innovative direction and applying it across the business. Our employees are ideating, innovating and going after big ideas. Everyone has shared ownership of our company’s future.”
The new space located on the west side of Greeley Avenue just north of the Adidas Village is 25,000 square feet and will house approximately 150 employees. The Adidas Village, which currently comprises five buildings on 11 acres, will expand to six buildings on more than 14 acres.
“To evolve a culture, you have to look at what effects your people. We want to give our employees a great place to work and right now that means we need more room. We’re also in the midst of updating the interiors of our current buildings to create better common spaces and social work areas for employees to gather and have some fun.”
Adidas North America has called Portland home for more than 20 years, establishing its U.S. operations in the city in 1993. Adidas moved to its current Portland location in 2001.
“It’s good to be growing,” said King. “We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re making great strides. And this is just the beginning. The best is yet to come.”