The latest business move by Salesforce, the San Francisco software company that nets around $4 billion a year, will result in 100 new jobs being created in Scotts Valley, officials said.
In describing their deal to create “Trailblazer Ranch” in partnership with local wellness center 1440 Multiversity, Joe Poch, Salesforce’s senior vice president for the initiative, told the Press Banner it’s all about creating a dynamic work environment that takes into account post-pandemic realities.
“Salesforce is joining your community with humility, respect and a desire to contribute productively,” he said. “We’re also benefiting by learning from 1440’s expertise in the areas where we hope to develop programs.”
While the cloud-based applications provider didn’t buy the campus, and they’re not leasing it, either (or disclosing financials for that matter), there will reportedly be around 10,000 employees making the employment pilgrimage to the Santa Cruz County property—that once boasted an Assemblies of God USA college with the motto “Wisdom Word Spirit”—this year alone.
Salesforce envisions a hybrid-workplace future where its employees will enter a physical office, on average, somewhere between one and three days a week. But the company has also discovered its worker bees would actually like to connect in person—something that mostly hasn’t been possible recently due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“We’ve hired tens of thousands of employees over the past two years who have never met in person or been to one of our offices,” Poch said. “This partnership with 1440 Multiversity will allow our employees to forge trusted relationships with their colleagues, learn from one another, get inspired, grow in their career, get trained on the company, and give back to the community in a fun and safe environment—in the same way other guests have utilized the campus in the past.”
The company is also planning to pioneer research about workplace culture in Scotts Valley that it believes could guide the decisions of leaders further afield.
“In the end, the case study will be used to provide information and best practices for other organizations to strengthen corporate culture, right action, community involvement, corporate social responsibility and employee wellness,” he said. “The outcomes of the joint research and learnings will be used to benefit the public.”
Scotts Valley City Manager Mali LaGoe says not only will the additional guests set to visit 1440 Multiversity will benefit the local economy, but the social sector will also get a boost as well, since there is a volunteering component to the project being dreamed up.
“The relationship between Salesforce and 1440 represents a new chapter for Scotts Valley and Salesforce as facilitated by 1440,” she said. “Salesforce is committed to bringing benefit to Scotts Valley through this partnership, and the City looks forward to working with Salesforce and 1440 as to what this might look like.”
LaGoe says it’s exciting that Scotts Valley gets to play an integral role in helping quantify what the post-pandemic workplace will look like.
“Trailblazer Ranch is an exciting program with global implications of the future of work and Scotts Valley is fortunate to be the home of 1440 Multiversity where this research study will take place,” she said. “The idea of Scotts Valley serving as a place for wellness and growth to Salesforce employees builds upon what 1440 has already established through its programs for the last five years.”
The company is planning to use the 1440 site in the short term while it makes plans to construct an actual ranch.
