Park Place Technologies preparing for next stage of growth, campus expansion

Posted by: Megan Roth on Monday, February 12, 2024

The next step for the company's growth: a campus.

As technology continuously advances, Cleveland-based global data center and networking optimization firm Park Place Technologies continues to grow alongside it. Currently located in Mayfield Heights, Park Place Technologies is outgrowing its 100,000 square foot headquarters.

Founded in Cleveland in 1991, Park Place Technologies was named to CRN’s Fast Growth 150 list for the ninth time in 2023. CRN cites a 93.5% growth rate between 2020 and 2022. The company has been recognized as one of Case’s Weatherhead 100 fastest-growing companies since 2007 and a Titan winner since 2018. Park Place was the 2023 winner of GCP’s Best of Tech Awards for Best IT Services, and Chris Adams was named the large tech company CEO of the year.

Park Place CEO Chris Adams

Adams cites three factors that have driven the company’s good fortune: a good industry, strong business strategy and great team.

While there is competition in the storage, server, and network support industry, it’s mainly with original equipment manufacturers (OEM) whose goal is to get a customer to buy new gear. Adams says that because of this OEM’s strategy, Park Place has an important value proposition for customers who want to extend the useful life of their equipment.

The company’s business strategy includes a world-class sales go-to market strategy. Upon recruitment, new hires are trained in sales techniques and the market strategy for three to six months and supported through continuous training and development for the next three years as they mature into a tenured sales rep. With mentorship and support, Park Place fosters a team environment.

“Everybody works and grows together to make [Park Place] a success,” Adams says. “People and execution are critical — [our team] understanding our strategy and all working together to execute it efficiently.”

Though Park Place services customers in 180 countries and has approximately 2,200 employees around the world, the company continues to thrive in Cleveland.

Park Place heavily recruits from “Division III” colleges, which Cleveland has no shortage of. Adams says the company began recruiting from John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace, but has since expanded beyond DIII schools, employing graduates from Cleveland State, Kent State and Akron – among others.

“In sales, alumni from each school will compete,” Adams says. “They’ll go back and forth over which college has produced the most aggregate results in the last decade or which salesperson is the best from each school.”

The Midwest culture goes great with a service company, Adams adds. The values of the Midwest and the company align: hard work, collaboration, and a team mindset.

“Just look at how Cleveland is with the Browns,” he says. “[We] never give up. We’ve got fans that never quit. We have that culture in the form of employees.”

Adams also credits Cleveland with an abundance of resources.

Going into its 33rd year, there’s only one constraint: space. Adams says the company is looking into buying a campus with a significant amount of space enabling future growth and expansion, so it doesn’t become a recurring issue.

Park Place believes a campus environment will drive a higher sense of appreciation and culture for employees. He imagines a range of amenities: a fitness center, barista, pickleball courts and daycare.

In November, Park Place entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with Progressive Insurance to acquire a multi-building campus located in Highland Heights, Ohio. The company has commenced formal due diligence on the prospective site. The 18-acre campus totals 335,000 square feet and more than 1,500 parking spaces, according to Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Progressive's Alpha Drive Campus

Adams sees the new campus allowing Park Place to create a unique employee experience, which he says is pivotal when you’re competing for the best talent in the area.

Park Place provides Cleveland with more than just employment. Adams says the company is always working to give back through support for United Way and Breakthrough Schools. The company also partners with the Girl Scouts as a platform to educate young women about careers in tech.

Top: Park Place Technologies' office on Landerbrook Drive in Mayfield Heights.