A mobile app development firm specializing in business apps has recently moved to an office near Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Lextech, formerly in Lisle, has now moved into a 24,000 square-foot office in another Chicago suburb, Downers Grove. Their office, which is roughly 20 miles away from downtown Chicago, will serve has the company’s headquarters and is capable of accommodating 140 people, although the company currently has only 50 employees.
“We needed space for our current team and to expand,” said Alex Bratton, CEO. He said that over the last few years, Lextech has grown by an annual rate of 40%.
The company focuses on making mobile apps for businesses. They developed six apps, for example, for a car dealership client of theirs. The dealership employees use the apps on their smartphones and iPads to aid in the tasks that go with buying a car, including searching lots, running a credit check, and drawing up a contract. The dealership says that the apps have allowed them to cut their selling time from three hours to 45 minutes.
The office has more in common with Cupertino and Mountain View than Chicago in that its design invokes the latest trends of technology company offices. The office features bright colors, glass walls, open spaces, wide hallways, “thinking rooms,” game rooms, and a media wall, according to Bratton.
“Our new space brings a Silicon Valley feel to Downers Grove,” he said. “The space is a physical representation of our culture and core values, and speaks to our focus on collaboration and teamwork. Our passion and energy come through clearly in the color choices and lighting that flow throughout the space.”
“We have a little bit of Silicon Valley but not all the silliness,” he continued, although his employees are able to drive in scooters and electric go-carts around the office.
Lextech’s focus on mobile apps reflects a greater trend in the web design and development fields to make apps and websites more accessible to mobile users. Accessing the Internet on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is rising throughout the world. One study, in fact, found that nearly 13% of total world Internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
