Now that Arctic Cat has announced that they are moving their corporate headquarters to downtown Minneapolis, within a few blocks of busy Target Field – home of the Minnesota Twins – renovations to the “warehouse-style” building are underway. Nearby Target Field saw some 2.2 million people visit the baseball stadium in 2015—an average of just over 27,000 per home game.
According to a report by Twin Cities Business Journal senior reporter Sam Black, the move is all about garnering more visibility for the motorsports brand. Can't miss, billboard-style signage will grace the building's roof lines and street-facing facades.
The company's lineup of ATV's and snowmobiles will be clearly visible from a glass-encased showroom/lobby.
“It has a lot more visibility,” said Chris Metz, Arctic Cat CEO, of the new corporate office, in an interview with the Business Journal. “I think it will attract a lot of people to the Arctic Cat brand that frankly don’t even know it exists in the Twin Cities area today.”
The new space will fit Arctic Cat's growth plans as the company projects its headquarter staff to grow from 35 to 150 in a couple of years. The so-called Western Container Building is a four-story former warehouse building, located in the heart of Minneapolis' downtown, constructed in early 1900's which is currently empty.
The summer of 2016 is the projected moving in date for Arctic Cat's new corporate digs. Currently the company's office is tucked away in a nondescript glass skyscraper in Plymouth, a suburb of Minneapolis, which offers little or no branding opportunity for Arctic Cat.
The move is consistent with CEO's Christopher Metz vision of making Arctic Cat into a "brand marketing powerhouse."
