The Nu Skin Tower, the only building in Utah County that resembles a skyscraper, was designed to be a showcase.
The 10-story tower at 75 W. Center in Provo contains more than 120,000 square feet of office space. Those responsible - The Boyer Co. (a Salt Lake-based developer and the building's owner), the Babcock Design Group (Salt Lake-based architects) and Nelson Johnson & Partners and Interior Planners (Salt Lake-based designers) - all intended the tower to be a showcase.Consequently, "we may have actually gotten a nicer workplace than what we paid for," said Blake Roney, president of Nu Skin International Inc. Or, as the company's promotional flier on the tower puts it, "(the tower) is a fitting facility to house the company's administrative offices."
Brooke Roney, a Nu Skin vice president, said older offices were so cramped that company officials considered issuing "bunk desks," even for executives.
Certainly the Roneys, as well as Nu Skin Executive Vice Presidents Steven Lund and Sandie Tillotson, can't complain about the executive offices. Lund and Tillotson share the tower's top floor with Blake Roney. Lund calls the top floor space "a drastic change from the old offices (Nu Skin used to occupy)."
Originally, the offices of Blake Roney, Lund and Tillotson were similar - more than 400 square feet of space with 12-foot-high arching plate-glass windows offering three different panoramic views of the Wasatch Mountains. The main reception area includes miniature trees, and the offices also contain high-tech stereo and television systems contained within either the walls or shelf space (allowing them capabilities for closed-circuit broadcasts) and separate executive washrooms.
Lund said the offices originally recalled the views from the Nautilus sea vehicle from Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." However, after the three conferred with Interior Planners, the offices were designed to provide a stark contrast to each other.
Roney joked that Tillotson's office closely resembles "a hotel living room" more than it does an office. Indisputably, it is distinctly feminine, with desks and accessories decorated in tile and marble, with a teal and purple color scheme. Looking out onto Utah Lake, the office also offers plush couches and furniture for visitors.
Lund's office, located on the building's west side, more resembles an attorney's office, which is fitting because Lund earned a law degree. Decorated in mahogany, Lund's office looks out onto the old Utah County Courthouse and "Y" Mountain. Hanging throughout are oil paintings by local artists, including Provo's Michael Workman, as well as older works of art by pioneer artists.
"Well, lawyers do tend to be fairly conservative, and the office does reflect that, I guess," Lund said.
As for the head man, Roney's office located on the north side resembles Lund's space. Again using dark wood, Roney has decorated his office with wildlife artwork (including a study on elephants that conceals Roney's 21-inch television) and knickknacks picked up from various business trips. It also contains a fireplace.
"It's something to break up this cold office space, especially in this high altitude," Roney said.Despite the understated opulence, Roney does envy the ninth-floor office of his brother, Brooke. The office contains animation cels from Warner Brothers and Disney animated classics. Brooke Roney's office also contains a "life-sized" wooden statue of Mickey Mouse and other mementos from the Disney amusement parks.
The executives did not have exact cost estimates for the office decorations but quipped that "the foundation (in other words, the rest of the building itself) was quite expensive - $15 million."
But, as Blake Roney put it, "it is important that (company officials and employees) feel comfortable where they're going to stay for quite some time. It's also a sign of the company's stability."