From the Ground Up

Barely five years ago, MoLo was just an idea.

While the idea, to change the logistics industry, wasn’t small, the physical space it occupied was. 

As MoLo grew, so did the space it needed. Starting in a small third floor office in River North with a large closet we converted to our Accounting office, but packed to the brim with energy and passion. The team took private calls in a small hallway and held interviews at the downstairs Irish restaurant and pub—putting to use every space available. 

That energy and passion led to rapid growth that outpaced the ability to stay in the current office. After nearly two months of hosting half the quickly expanding team in a nearby WeWork, MoLo moved to 120 N. Racine in Chicago’s West Loop in 2019—nearly tripling the size of the previous space. Within 6 months, the continued growth again exceeded the physical space, and before long, MoLo’s service-first approach was proving itself out and the team was taking up every available inch of space in the building.

All this led to last month, when MoLo moved to one of the premier, state-of-the-art spaces in all of Chicago—167 N. Green Street.

The more than 93,000 square feet of MoLo’s new home encompasses two floors and boasts breathtaking views of the Windy City. But best of all, it offers the opportunity for direct, in-person communications and collaboration, that human-to-human factor that simply isn’t possible on Slack or Zoom. The ability to spin around in your chair and ask someone a question, hop into a private meeting room to collaborate on a project, or simply have a conversation with a coworker—or as our Carrier Sales Assistant Manager Chris Steele put it, “have a live Slack.”

Developed by Shapack Partners, who have been leaders in creating the palpable energy of Chicago’s Fulton Market District with projects that include The Parker, Soho House, and the Hoxton Hotel, it’s no wonder that this space feels like the pinnacle of a modern workspace—MoLo does stand for Modern Logistics, after all.

 “Everyone’s hard work and dedication have allowed us to design a brand-new office completely customized for our MoLo family. One that reflects exactly how incredible each and every person on this team is.”

Cara Kinney, VP Human Resources

Guided by Cara Kinney, VP of Human Resources, Helena Solarte, Sr. Marketing Manager, Nick Lawler, Technology Operations Manager, and Jenna Monday, Project Manager, the eight-month undertaking was a team effort through and through. This is why, after completion, Cara described it as “living and breathing MoLo.”

Driven by Passion: Working the MoLo Way 

What makes MoLo is the people. Our people’s drive, passion, and commitment to the values and vision of providing world-class service for our carriers and customers. So providing them with workspaces that give them the tools they need to not only thrive at their work but enjoy physically being in the office—if they so choose—is vital. 

167 N. Green does that and more with its 500 desks that can be reserved on a daily, weekly, and permanent basis. Giving teams flexibility for schedules and the ability to still work from home when desired or needed. 

Across the two floors, there are 17 conference rooms that can hold between four and 20 people, along with two massive training rooms on each floor, and 33 private offices—all named after Chicago’s iconic streets and neighborhoods. There are soundproof callrooms for when you need a little extra focus, Zoom-capable conference rooms so your whole team can get on a call together, and multiscreen workspaces set up at each of those 500 desks. 

Every exterior wall of the office is a floor-to-ceiling window, providing immense natural light that touches nearly every corner of the office and offers gorgeous views of the iconic Chicago skyline. 

Driven for Better: When you Need to Recharge

Providing world-class service is the core of working at MoLo, but sometimes the key to doing your best work is knowing when you need to take a quick break, step back for a minute, or just have your second coffee of the day—which is easy when each floor has cold brew on tap! 

MoLo’s slice of 167 N. Green was designed with that in mind throughout the entire process. 

Spaces like the Secret Gardens provide greenery-filled corridors and seats that encompass you and allow you to tune out the rest of the world for a bit. Or common spaces with pool tables and shuffleboard, where you can go play a quick game to clear your mind. After a couple of years of working remotely and interactions often limited to Zoom and Slack, the opportunity to spend non-work-related time with your team is truly valuable beyond measure.  

“Our people have fueled our growth from the beginning, and this new space allows them to work together in a fun, amazing location to continue to deliver unparalleled service to each other, our drivers, and our shipper partners.”

Matt Vogrich, President & COO

There are multiple kitchens with seating areas for team lunches or where catering can be set up and provided. The 14th floor’s Urban Garden offers secluded eating or working spaces completely surrounded by a lush array of plants and lighting specifically designed for indoor garden areas.  

Part of modern work life often means looking at a computer screen for hours at a time, but MoLo’s commitment to being driven for better for our people means providing ample opportunities and spaces to allow mental breaks and time to recharge while working in-office —so we can continue to be driven for better for our customers and carriers.

“The office represents a small part of our original vision becoming our reality.” MoLo CEO Andrew Silver says describing the office. “We set out to create the best experience for employees in our industry. Much of that is driven by our values and culture, but some of that has to do with the physical environment we create. Today, we can say with confidence we have the best office in our industry. That’s a competitive advantage for hiring talent. The best talent, the best people. They are who create the best experience for drivers and shippers in our industry. We have always believed that our recipe for successfully servicing drivers and shippers would be driven by our ability to keep our people happy. We’ve now created a long-term “work home” for our people that is second to none. It’s truly a place we can all be proud of.”

Driven to Deliver: For our People

One of the selling points of 167 N. Green was the clear community the building has and that they are determined to continue fostering.

The top floor is an entirely shared common area for everyone who works in the building, with ping-pong tables, a sun-laden rooftop deck, an indoor fire pit, and vast amounts of places to eat and work. It is a truly stunning shared space.

On top of that, there is a building-only accessible gym, with, once again, breathtaking views of the city, in addition to state-of-the-art equipment, locker rooms, showers, and even professionally offered fitness classes. There’s also an NBA-regulation-sized basketball court that isn’t just for you and some friends to shoot hoops, it can also hold up to 400 people and be used as a town hall for company-wide meetings or other professional gatherings.

For MoLo, 167 N. Green is so much more than just an office. It’s a space that is conducive to providing the absolute best service possible, for both our customers and carriers. It’s a hub for our people, designed to be enjoyable to work at, provide tools needed for success, and fun to spend time in after work. It embodies our mentality of Driven to Deliver for everyone we interact with— as Cara said, it simply lives and breathes the essence of MoLo.