The Johannesburg office in Waterfall City is not only a satellite for the Pretoria Bloukrans office… it also sends a clear signal that Atterbury believes in the future of this fast-growing hub. Marketing and leasing coordinator Natasha de Villiers provides us with a behind the scenes sneak peek.
The Johannesburg office was established in 2000. What are the advantages of a separate office?
When doing business in Johannesburg it makes sense to have an address in town. Joburg brokers and corporates operate differently from those in Pretoria, even though the cities are just 35km apart. Having an office at Waterfall makes it easier to meet with our Joburg clients and entice potential new tenants. We are now available on-site to drive them around and show them first-hand the benefits of having an office at Waterfall.
How big is the office compared to the head office in Pretoria?
We have 14 staff members, most of whom represent APD. Our team consists of project managers, legal and town-planning, administrators and leasing managers responsible for deal-making. Our main focus is Waterfall even though we do have other Gauteng projects and also some involvement in Cape Town.
Do you commute from Pretoria or are you Joburgers?
Only four of us live in Johannesburg. The others commute daily from Pretoria.
Some say Waterfall is to be the new city centre of Joburg – what are your thoughts?
Certainly, give or take a few years and Waterfall will be the new city centre, comparable to Rosebank and Sandton. A lot of corporates are consolidating their offices, moving them out of less favourable areas and also at the same time away from Sandton with its severe traffic congestion. We’ve done a lot of urban and traffic studies and planning, trying to future-proof the city.
What is the best part about having your office in Waterfall?
Waterfall is central between Joburg and Pretoria, which makes it easy to travel to our head office in Pretoria for meetings. We’ll be within walking distance of the Mall of Africa, which is something to be excited about! Being on site indicates our belief in the project; we’re putting our money where our mouths are.
Are there similarities in design to the head office in Pretoria?
Yes. Our interior look and feel is the same; the colour palette uses a lot of the Atterbury blue and we also have the trademark wooden furniture creating a friendly and informal workplace.
Atterbury has a very particular company culture. How have you exported that culture to the Joburg office?
We connect with the Pretoria team on a regular basis and Devco meetings are held here. We attend most of the social events at HQ, such as the monthly braai, stork teas, kitchen teas and the annual manne-jag and ladies’ breakaway.
If you could add anything extra to the Waterfall development – think completely blue sky – what would it be?
I really can’t think of anything! We’ve got the perfect location: Gautrain station very close to our offices, easy access from the highway and with the one-of-a-kind Mall of Africa opening next year… what more could we ask for?
In a fight between Sandton City and Waterfall City, who’ll win? Why?
Waterfall! We have a brand-new location with better traffic access and limited gridlock, fantastic shopping, wonderful restaurants, gyms and easy access to new residential developments… If you ask any of the companies already at Waterfall, you’ll hear that the majority of staff are very happy to be here. One company moved here because of difficulty in recruiting staff due to their previous office location. Waterfall is the place for young, successful professionals… it’s all about the future!
