Project Overview
NTH represented Goff Public, a Saint Paul public affairs and communications firm, in relocating its headquarters in downtown Saint Paul. NTH negotiated a long-term lease at UBS Plaza and then managed the design and construction of a 6,850-square-foot office built around the firm’s mix of client-facing meeting space and focused individual work. NTH has advised the firm on its space ever since — testing renovation and expansion scenarios in 2021 and, in 2023, exercising the expansion right from the original lease to grow Goff Public into adjacent space on the same floor.
The Challenge
Goff Public was leaving an office it had occupied for years, and the next lease would define its home for the following decade. The firm wanted to stay in downtown Saint Paul near the Capitol, with a workplace that supported both collaboration and heads-down work, and could not reliably forecast its headcount ten years out. The schedule was compressed: the lease was signed in February for June occupancy – roughly fifteen weeks to complete design, bidding, construction, furniture, technology, and the move. Construction and furniture costs ran beyond the improvement allowance provided by the landlord, so every scope decision carried a direct out-of-pocket consequence for the client.
How We Made It Happen
NTH negotiated a lease that secured an appropriate length of lease term and competitive economics including a sizable improvement allowance. Just as important, NTH built flexibility into the deal: a one-time right to expand into adjacent space, a right of first offer on the balance of the floor, two renewal options, and a contraction right. NTH then managed the project end to end – coordinating NELSON on interiors and branding and Anderson Companies on construction, and directly running the furniture, audiovisual, cabling, sound masking, and relocation packages the client purchased outside the construction contract. Every invoice was reviewed against a line-item budget before payment, giving leadership a continuous view of where costs stood against the allowance.
The Outcome
Goff Public opened their new space on schedule. Final project costs came in on budget with all contracted work closed out. The lease flexibility NTH negotiated proved its value over the following years. NTH priced renovation and expansion options for the firm in 2021, and in 2023 Goff Public expanded to over 8,300 square feet on its existing floor with competitive terms and without having to return to the market.
