To the Rescue ''Help! My office is obsolete!'' cried entrepreneurs across the land, but who needed the most help? Xerox and <i>Entrepreneur</i> found out with their office makeover contest--and turned a tragic office ''don't'' into a fabulous office ''do.''

Standing on Evans Road in Scottsdale, Arizona, this past July, you could hear a certain buzz in the air. It was coming from a small office in an unassuming office park just a hop, skip and a jump from the freeway. While the mercury was busy rising over the 100-degree mark, life behind the tinted picture windows of Mad Science was heading in a decidedly cool direction. Children's science education franchisee Mad Science of Scottsdale and northeast Phoenix was the winning business in Xerox and Entrepreneur's "Help! My Office Is Obsolete!" Makeover Contest.

That may sound like a dubious honor, but owners Jack and Kathy Hamlett didn't just take it in stride-they took it at full running speed. "This is a godsend because we were about to outgrow ourselves," says Jack. Chosen from more than 450 qualified entries, their business was scheduled to get the face lift of a lifetime: new furniture from The HON Company, new technology from Xerox, and a completely redone interior courtesy of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy interior designer Thom Filicia and his design team from Thom Filicia Inc.

To really understand why Mad Science came out on top, you have to conjure up a strong mental image using the "before" pictures as a road map. Don't be embarrassed if this reminds you more than a bit of your own office. The issues Mad Science was facing are typical of many growing businesses.

Mad Science has three main rooms, plus a rear warehouse space that remained untouched. The impression on arrival is part teenager's room, part recycling bin and part science lab. A colorful, 17-year-old director's chair; a desk that used to be a kitchen table; anachronistic Greek columns in the front room; and a thermal roll paper fax were some of the more unusual denizens. Let's recap: a thermal roll paper fax. "We were surprised by how many of these smaller companies still use thermal fax paper," says Robert Luchetti, one of the contest judges, from Cambridge, Massachusetts-based design and planning firm Robert Luchetti Associates.

The Hamletts spent hours and thousands of dollars at the local copy shop running off registration forms and materials. Their one ancient inkjet printer at the office was fussier than an irritated toddler. Stacks of paper, uncomfortable wooden chairs, and found shelving holding chemicals and supplies filled the rooms. Mad Science has 16 employees, most of whom are teachers and primarily work out in the field at schools and birthday parties. But sometimes, more than a dozen of them gather in this office space for team meetings.

"We were in a growth mode when we first moved through the door. We couldn't catch up to ourselves, so when we put things in, we just put them in," says Jack. With plans to hire 10 more employees by the end of the year, this makeover couldn't have come at a better time. Kathy, 51, was hoping for new file storage. Jack, 56, was hoping for a clean and uncluttered space. Filicia arrived to help make it a reality.

On a hot day in late July, Filicia found out just how obsolete Mad Science was. Surrounded by the purple, yellow and sage-green walls, he had a telling comment: "It's like living in a mood ring." Strike one for their original color choices. "Their office is really tragic," was his overall assessment. While Filicia consulted with his design team in hushed tones, the Hamletts made final preparations to vacate the office for the next two weeks so HON, Xerox and Filicia could work their magic.

The Transformation

"Transformation" is not too strong a word to describethe results. "We had nowhere to go but up. It didn'treflect any kind of professional office environment at all,"says Filicia. When people imagine professional office environments,most see clean white walls and orderly workstations laid out in agrid fashion. The new Mad Science office blows those stereotypesright out of orbit.

The pictures tell the story well but are no substitute forseeing it in person. The walls are covered in a bamboo printwallpaper, and the front room is accented with ocean photographsthat suggest Jack Hamlett's love of surfing. The industrialcarpet has been replaced with a warmer khaki-and-green pattern. Oneroom has walls finished in an enormous world map. There's atouch of the exotic with rattan-style chairs in the front room, abeta fish gracing a tabletop, and cactuses in the conference area.Says Filicia, "It was a delicate mix between making it lookprofessional, efficient and smart. But I also wanted it to beinviting and warm at the same time." Mission accomplished.

The greatest compliment may have been the string of vowelscoming from the Hamletts when they first saw their new office."Oooh," said Kathy. "Oooh," said Jack. Liberaldoses of "Wow!" and "Look!" followed. Theirexpressions resembled the looks on the faces of children seeing arocket-launch demonstration for the first time. Very cool.

The clean lines of HON's Perpetual furniture line lend asharp professionalism to the space. Light wood tones throughouthelp keep the small office rooms feeling airy and open. And just asKathy wished, there are heaps of storage possibilities, from filecabinets to large storage cabinets. Their piles of registrationforms, handouts, chemicals and supplies will all finally haveproper homes. The HON 4313 Perpetual swivel chairs are many worldsaway from the back-busting options Mad Science had before. Best ofall, the combined effect is the creation of many flexible andfunctional work spaces throughout the office.

Filicia also created an additional work space by adding a wallnear the back of the large front reception area. "I think Imaximized the amount of people, storage and circulation they canhave in there," he says. With so many new employees expectedto come onboard, they're going to need it.

Gone are the thermal fax machine and the frustration-inducingprinter. A multifunction scan/fax/print/e-mail Xerox WorkCentrePro55 and a Phaser 8400 solid ink color printer are two newadditions that will keep the Hamletts out of the local print shopand keep more of their money in their bank account. "They hadextremely outdated technology, so there were immediateopportunities to make them a lot more productive," says DianeMcGarry, corporate vice president and chief marketing officer withXerox, and one of the contest judges. The new 17-inch flat-panelXerox monitors spread throughout the office not only look sleek,but also maximize the usable work surface.

There's more to the technology part of the makeover thanmeets the eye. Xerox also installed an Ethernet network that willeasily accommodate the Hamletts' needs as the business grows.Mad Science relies a lot on paperwork like registration forms forafter-school programs. Xerox's DocuShare Software, a web-baseddocument- and content-management system, will change the way theystore and work with their data. "It allows them to organizetheir files, track versions of the documents, and help all of theemployees collaborate on a document," explains McGarry. Kathy,for one, is glad the stacks of paper that once plagued the officewill be transformed into a more efficient digital system.

The Hamletts were perfectly happy with having someone else setthe course for the look and technology of their office. "Itwas nice not to have to make those decisions. It's better thatit was taken out of our hands," says Kathy. Like many businessowners, they hadn't had the time to pursue these changes ontheir own. Since all of Mad Science's interactions withchildren take place outside the office, there generally aren'ta lot of clients visiting their office-but that may change as well.The Hamletts are looking forward to inviting over the teachers fromthe schools they're working with this fall.

Entrepreneurs, take cues from the Mad Science makeover when itcomes to rethinking your own office spaces. "I take a lot ofinformation from the client and a lot of information from what thespace is about, what they use it for and the environment aroundit," says Filicia. The Arizona setting shows up in the earthytextures and tones: reds, khakis, blues and taupes. Small, colorfultable lamps help bring warmth to the lighting scheme, and natureposters tie in to their science education mission. Large basketshold science toys and supplies in an attractive and functionalway.

You don't have to win a contest to get your office intoshape. Technology like color printing and document management issurprisingly affordable. Sterile work environments can be conqueredwith color and imagination. "That office to me represents somany offices in this country-the Sheetrock box with the glassstorefront windows," says Filicia. Box no more. Mad Sciencehas been transformed into a colorful, sleek, exotic, homey andefficient office. Most important, the Hamletts now have a home baseevery bit as fun and functional as the science education they bringto so many kids around Scottsdale.

Making the Upgrade

Need to shrink or update your office technology? Check outthese solutions.

Come on, 'fess up. Your office technology is closer to anabacus than an LCD. Your monitor takes up more space than your filecabinet. Your desktop is slower than a tortoise. Your inkjetprinter has been through more print cartridges than you can count.It's time to upgrade. Your situation doesn't have to be asdire as all that. But when your business technology has logged afew years of use, it's time to consider moving up to somethingbetter.

Let's start with that bulky CRT monitor. You can reclaimyour desk space with an LCD like the 17-inch Xerox XL370s. For $350(all prices street), you get the viewing space of a 19-inch CRTdisplay, an analog connection (you'll need to look upward inthe product line if you want digital) and a three-year warranty.Get more information at www.xerox-displays.com. For $200 to $300 more,you can move into the realm of high-end 19-inch LCD displays.Consider one of those if you work extensively with databases,spreadsheets or graphics layouts.

Now let's turn our attention to that brick of an obsoletedesktop computer. Even if it's only a couple of years old, thepace of technology has far outdistanced its capabilities. And ifyou're still running Windows 98, you know you're introuble. One interesting trend from the last year is that you maynot want to replace your desktop with a desktop.Desktop-replacement notebooks are a popular choice and give youadded flexibility.

The $2,599 Toshiba Satellite P25-S676 is a good example of astylish laptop that fits this category. With a generous 17-inchwidescreen display, 512 MB RAM, 3.4GHz Pentium 4 processor,DVD-SuperMulti Drive, 80GB hard drive and built-in 802.11a/b/gWi-Fi, it's a true replacement option. Don't worry, you canstill use your new LCD monitor with your notebook when you'reat the office.

If you're planning on hanging on to your desktop, or ifit's fairly up-to-date, consider boosting your DVD recordingcapabilities. The $129 BenQ DW1600 16x DVD-recordable drive will get you upto speed with double-layer recording capability and superfastspeeds. You can back up your data and files, and store a heap ofinformation in DVD format. It's also convenient for passingaround multimedia projects.

Whether you're using a desktop replacement or a regular olddesktop, there's nothing like a good keyboard and mouse set tomake your machine feel like new. The Logitech LX 700wireless keyboard and rechargeable cordless mouse set runs $99.95.That's not bad when you consider that tangled and too-shortcords will be things of the past.

Now that you've spiffed up your computing environment,it's a good time to turn some attention to printing. Take along, last look at your inkjet-you won't miss it when it'sgone. For a very small office or personal use, check into a devicelike the $199 Samsung SCX-4100 digital productivity center. Thismultifunction laser scans, copies, prints and features a10,000-page monthly duty cycle. For workgroups with color needs,check out the $499 Xerox Phaser 6100 color laser printer. Itfeatures a 35,000-page monthly duty cycle, 64MB of memory andtwo-sided printing, and is designed for up to 15 users.

Upgrading your office technology is inevitable. It's reallya matter of finding the right mix of timing and budget-friendlinessto meet the needs of your growing business. Shop smart, andupgrading can be an uplifting experience for your business.

Let the Good Times Roll

Fuel creativity by pumping fun into your businessenvironment.

There's a miniature golf game going on at a course featuringdifferent world cultures-the team representing Canada is playingthe Mexico-themed hole. The sun shines onto the energetic playersin this...place of business.

Yes, this scene took place on a recent workday at the offices ofMacquariumIntelligent Communications, a web development and consultingfirm in Atlanta. Founded in 1991 by Marc Adler, 32, the company hasa commitment to good work and good fun that runs deep. Says Adler,"We need to keep our people happy. [Fun] is absolutelycritical-not optional in our minds." Unique and interestingactivities, such as trivia tournaments and spinning the wheel ofemployee rewards (prizes include $1,000 cash or a car washperformed by Adler himself), are planned by those Macquariumemployees elected to be "funologists."

Bethany Brown, Macquarium's communications manager and onesuch funologist, got the idea for the miniature golf game from anemployee suggestion. Events like the game, as well as after-workoutings to movies, museums, cruises-and even white-water raftingtrips-promote creativity and enthusiasm, and have helped growyearly sales well into the eight-figure range.

That's exactly the way to approach it, says Leslie Yerkes,founder of Catalyst Consulting Group in Cleveland and co-author of301 Ways to Have Fun at Work: "Goand ask your folks. If you come in with all your own ideas, youhaven't engaged [your employees] with exploring."

It's all about creating a philosophical and culturalenvironment that encourages play and fun as indispensable parts ofa healthy workday. "[The idea] is not 'Work hard, and whenyou're done, go play.' That's keeping themseparate," says Yerkes. "Healthy and sustainableorganizations focus on the fundamentals: quality, service, fiscalresponsibility, leadership-but they didn't forget to add fun tothat formula."

For instance, if you have a huge mailing to do, don't burdenone person with the monster task-instead, get a group of the stafftogether, order some snacks, and start stuffing. Talk weekendplans, talk family, talk the latest action flick-the point is toget the job done while engaging your employees at the sametime.

Think layout and design as well, since 70 percent of officeworkers feel their furniture affects how they do their jobs,according to a recent study by The HON Company. "If you wantpeople to be productive and feel good about where they work, youneed to create a space that's not only inviting, but alsofunctional," says David Burdakin, president of The HON Companyin Muscatine, Iowa. "You can achieve this through thefurniture you buy, how you configure your space, and the colors youchoose for your walls, furniture and accessories. The setup andcolor should communicate your company's personality and image,and also be conducive to the work being done."

Eric Poses, 31, founded his Santa Monica, California, board gamebusiness, All Things Equal Inc., with the express idea that itwould be a fun place to work. Games are his bread and butter, andthey can be found around the office, ready for spontaneous play.Couches, a pool table and Poses' dog make the office homey andhelp breed creativity in this million-dollar company.

Even inexpensive changes, like reorganizing the office furnitureor letting more light into the building, can be effective. Youcould also hire a professional massage therapist to visit youroffice, or play employees' favorite music. But don't leaveit up to us-go ask your brilliant employees for their fun-enhancingsuggestions over a nice game of table tennis. -Nichole L.Torres

Runners Up & Design Tips

Bellissimo!: 1st Runner-Up

"It's pathetic," Marguerite Mazzitti sighs."We get accolades for beautiful work, and our officedoesn't have a speck of creativity in it."

Mazzitti, 40, is the founder of Tutto Mio, whichmeans "all mine" in Italian. The San Leandro, California,business imports Italian ceramics and distributes them to retailstores across the country. Mazzitti, who founded her business justover a year ago, is constantly surrounded by hand-painted servingplatters, urns, vases and other gifts for the home-all in soft,warm hues. Her office, however, is a bland white, withlow-to-the-ground tables ("It looks like Lilliputians workhere") and some truly bad electrical wiring.

"If we run our microwave at the same time the coffeemachine is going, we blow the fuses," says Mazzitti, whosebusiness so far consists of herself, 10 full-time employees and 70independent contractors.

Mazzitti concedes that she may have to upgrade her electricityafter receiving the first runner-up's prize: a Xerox Phaser8400DP color printer (estimated retail price: $1,699) and aone-year warranty on service and supplies, totaling $2,700. Shealso gets a three-year subscription to Entrepreneur.

"We produce a lot of ad hoc marketing materials, and tohave a color printer here, it's going to be quicker and muchless expensive than going to those places that do color copies fora dollar a page," says Mazzitti, sounding relieved. "Oh,our lives are going to change dramatically." -GeoffWilliams

Music to Their Ears: 2nd Runner-Up

We know how to make sandwiches, but we don't know how toredesign an office," says Cathy Morelli.

For the past 18 years, not including the time she logged whenthey were dating, Morelli has worked with her husband and herin-laws at Augustino's Rock and Roll Deli, based in CarolStream, Illinois. Morelli, 45, entered Xerox andEntrepreneur's Makeover Contest because, as she notes ofthe 36-employee enterprise, "the business is growing, but theoffice has stayed the same size." Morelli, a self-describedoffice queen when she isn't in the restaurant or at thesoon-to-open second location, describes a room with two doors-butonly one is in use because the cluttered desk blocks the other.

As the second runners-up, Morelli and her husband, Jerry-alongwith his parents, Augie and Phyllis-have won a three-yearsubscription to Entrepreneur, a Xerox WorkCentre M15imultifunction unit (estimated retail price: $1,299), and a one-yearwarranty on service and supplies, totaling $1,821. The WorkCentrewill come in especially handy because their fax machine just broke."We're always sending out menus. With the amount of faxingwe do, it's like we beat our machine to death. So this is greattiming."

She also likes the idea of having a printer, fax and scanner allin one machine-saving space, something they sorely need."There are people who have the intelligence to keeptheir office in order. Not that we don't," says Morelli."We're just too busy making sandwiches."-G.W.

Design Tips From Architect Robert Luchetti

Work transformation expert Robert Luchetti, an architect andindustrial designer; president of Cambridge, Massachusetts-basedRobert LuchettiAssociates; and a judge for Xerox and Entrepreneur'sMakeover Contest; offers his top five tips on design:

1. Incorporate the must-haves. You need a conference room,or at least a place for people to sit down at a table. In youroffice, use a table instead of a desk, or a desk with a round end."You're not only planning for individuals, you'replanning for small groups," he says.
2. Plan open and closed spaces. It's important toprovide sanctuaries other than the bathroom or the hallway foremployees to make private calls or do some concentrated work. SaysLuchetti, "Even if you [put] up a couple of walls to make oneroom, it's worth doing."
3. Have dedicated and shared spaces. Dedicated meansit's your area only; shared is for everyone. Some teams mayhave a team room, but the room is solely for that team. "Therecan be a number of work settings with this concept."
4. Improve the lighting. "Most rental spaces have a2-by-4 light that is cheap, efficient, but also verylow-quality," Luchetti says. Add one 10-foot piece of tracklighting with four or five pictures underneath, or a bunch of cliplights to put around. Flourescent lights are fine, but get a colortemperature between 3,500 and 5,000 degrees Kelvin.
5. Think paperless. If you use your technologyintelligently, keep it simple and consistent-have one e-mailprogram, and take the time to link the people and the equipment.Says Luchetti, "In the long run, there's less paperstacked around, and life just gets better." -April Y.Pennington