Back in the Loop: Shure Returns to Chicago City Center
In 1956, Shure Brothers moved its headquarters from the Loop, Chicago's main business district, to two buildings located in Evanston, Illinois, some 12 miles to the north.
Now, six decades after leaving downtown Chicago, Shure is triumphantly returning to its roots in March 2018 with a spectacular 35,000-square foot City Center office and presentation space in The National building.
Chicago is the place where Sidney N. Shure founded a one-man radio parts business at 19 South Wells Street in 1925. Our relocation to Evanston never changed our cultural heritage. We still called Chicago home.
Global Growth
When Shure moved into its seven-story headquarters in neighboring Niles in 2003, it was more than twice the size of our Evanston facility. Still, we couldn't have predicted that the company's accelerated growth and successful entry into global markets would put us on track to outgrow that 267,000-square foot space just 15 years later.
Today, Shure is a $500-million+ company with 25 offices in 110 countries. For several years, our business plan called for creating a space that would be more accessible to corporate customers, letting them directly engage with our products in 'real world' conditions. Especially important for our growing conferencing line, we knew that people who specify enterprise-scale installations need to hear how these systems will perform in their courtrooms, boardrooms, lecture halls and auditoriums. That was the idea behind what we now call the Shure Experience Center.
After an exhaustive search, we chose The National, a newly renovated building that was once the home of Chicago Public Schools and designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham.
Back in the Loop
Over the course of this spring, our US sales, marketing and service Associates will move to the City Center office, occupying the fourth floor of the historic 20-story structure. Located at 125 South Clark Street, it's just a short walk from where Sidney Shure once worked in the Loop. Our new neighbors in The National include innovative technology and networking companies, architects and an all-local food marketplace with offerings from a wide spectrum of Chicago's favorite restaurants.
Our corporate headquarters will remain in Niles, where global product management, engineering, finance, operations, and human resources Associates will continue developing and supporting the company's pro, systems and retail products.
This history-making step for Shure builds on our heritage, but more importantly, establishes a foundation for another 90+ years of industry leadership.
Chicago Hospitality
We want to continue to expand in all of our vertical markets. Chicago City Center is an extension of that. We'll be accessible to our customers in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the world, ready to connect, explore and engage – whether that means sending our video crew to interview touring musicians or demonstrating the sonic advantages of Microflex® Advance™ to corporate clients.
We don't have to wonder what Mr. and Mrs. Shure would think. The company's DNA (and Mrs. Shure's sense of style) are evident in every aspect of the City Center location.
As for Mr. Shure, we only have to fulfill the promise of our mission statement: "We are in the business to perform a service to people. 'People' includes our customers, our employees, our suppliers, and the communities in which we live." -Sidney N. Shure
