Bill Oesterle, the CEO of Angie's List, just introduced the 'Whiskey Hill Initiative' project, which is incredibly exciting, but first it might help to know a little about the List's background.
The List's headquarters are in the Historic Holy Cross neighborhood on Indianapolis' Near East side, an area that includes Whiskey Hill (the third highest point in Indy). In 2001 when we moved over here from our previous offices, we had fewer than 100 employees. As Bill would tell it, we were all lured here by cheap rent, free parking and the proximity to downtown.
Now, we've got more than 400 employees and continue to invest in properties we rehabilitate, occupy and adore. There's still free parking for the employees, and downtown is about to feel a lot closer. The huge on-ramp that separates the Holy Cross neighborhood from downtown is coming down, which will be fantastic (once all the construction is done!).
These offices completely feel like home now, and with the offices comes the neighborhood and the people who live in it.
Which is why we're going to continue to invest in rehabilitating and revitalizing our neighborhood–to the tune of $8 million.
I think Bill put it best:
“Our business continues to perform well despite of the national turmoil. As long as our business continues to grow, we are going to continue to invest in our people and in our neighborhood. We see great promise in the years to come, and we're willing to put our money where our mouth is. We invite other entrepreneurs to be a part of our project.'
The Whiskey Hill Initiative is an effort to bring a group of organizations together to undertake a comprehensive approach to neighborhood redevelopment. We're getting the community involved, as well as The National Bank of Indianapolis, real estate development firm Henry Amalgamated and individual Angie's List employees.
I feel incredibly lucky to be involved with this, and I'll keep you posted on the details as more happens.
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