Taylor Farms Opens its New Salinas Headquarters
SALINAS, CA - Taylor Farms has officially opened its brand new, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters in downtown Salinas. Clocking in at 100,000 square feet, the new facility is now home to approximately 150 employees working in all three Taylor Farms segments; Foodservice, Retail, and Deli.
Located on Main Street in the heart of the downtown district of Salinas, the building itself is artistically developed, and modeled after the architecture found in New Orleans. Large windows let in abundant natural light across all five of the building’s floors, and an underground garage provides for easy and out of sight parking. Most unexpected, however, is that the design also includes a 4th floor patio and barbecue area, giving employees and visitors panoramic views, a 50-person lecture hall, and collaboration spaces, or “huddle spaces,” where new and innovative ideas can be incubated.
According to the company, the new facility was built with a focus on innovation and collaboration, inspiring Taylor Farms to open up the first two floors to other businesses, with the hopes of creating a vibrant community gathering place. Currently, the Western Growers Innovation Center is occupying part of the first floor, but the space will also be open to restaurants and retailers. Taylor Farms hopes this venture will provide space to start-up companies with the goal of nurturing new ideas and accelerating technology and innovation in agriculture.
Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms’ CEO added, “The idea is to get these start-up companies that have great technology but don’t know what to do with it, together with growers who have needs but don’t know where to go to meet those needs.”
Taylor was born and raised in the Salinas Valley, inspiring his desire to make the new headquarters more than just a building, the company says. Surrounding the new headquarters with graceful patios, courtyards, and ample open space, the architecture creates a sense of community that Taylor hopes will spur other economic activity downtown, and help revitalize his hometown.
Taylor says, “We want Main Street to be the living room of Salinas where the community can gather. We want to drive progress, as this city becomes an even more special place to live.”
According to a press release, Taylor Farms has purchased several other downtown buildings, which are in various stages of renovation. Some will be used for Taylor Farms’ operations; others will be leased out for retail and restaurant opportunities. The plan is to create a business and social hub.
