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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MAY 15, 2022
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Traf�ic analyst makes waves with new HQ BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
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hen the traf�ic engineering �irm Lokahi Group was nearing the end of its two-year lease at a space in the Cotton Gin area off 48th Street and Broadway Road, it began looking for a new home that would give the brand a grand presence. As a �irm dedicated to evaluating the impact that new developments will have on traf�ic and �inding solutions to minimize traf�ic in a way that bene�its neighborhoods, municipalities and developers can all get excited about, the Lokahi Group wanted to �ind a space where it could make a splash. Then a former medical of�ice located off of Shea Boulevard and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard came on the market and the Lokahi Group saw it as the perfect place for its employees to work and to invite the public in to host events. “We purchased this and I knew that I wanted to not just have an of�ice but have an exciting space,” said Lokahi Group owner and principal traf�ic engineer Jamie Blakeman. “We really want to activate this space.” She was also excited about the promise of being closer to the bulk of developers she works with. “Scottsdale is home to many other professionals we collaborate with, including architects, engineers, and developers,” Blakeman said. “It is also an amazing city with great restaurants to host client meetings and employee gatherings.” Blakeman closed on the space in October and almost immediately began gutting the space to make way for a place where people would feel at home from the moment they walked through the door. “Since this was a medical space, the lounge area was all cubicles and it was all
Jamie Blakeman, owner and chief engineer of Lokahi Group, stands in the lobby of the company’s new headquarters in Scottsdale. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)
but there were still lots of decisions to be made about the interior design of the space. “The employees enjoy the space since it’s so much bigger, it’s homier and they were all a part of creating it,” Blakeman said. After all, her company is named after the Hawaiian phrase A conference room in the offices of Lokahi Group has a for teamwork. “As I thought stunning mural of a scene from Oahu, Hawaii. about what to name (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer) our �irm, I knew blue,” Blakeman said. “We started demo- that I wanted something that embraced ing, painting and re-imagining the space a group of us,” she said. “We collaborate with new �looring.” with architects, attorneys and other enBy January, the space was ready for gineers. Paying tribute to Oahu, Hawaii, employees to move in and begin working which is where I’m from, the word ‘lo-
kahi’ means teamwork, collaboration and together we do more.” However, Blakeman did make it a point to have the walls pay homage to her hometown on the island of Oahu, Hawaii by �illing them with photos taken by her good friend and surf magazine photographer Mike Ito. She also made it a point to create a grand lounge area as well as two game rooms, one containing a ping pong table and the other with two screens for video game consoles to be hooked up to so that companies and groups could host events in the space. “I hope that this can be a community space and that we can start to open our doors to welcome others into a comfortable space,” Blakeman said. So far, the Urban Land Institute has committed to hosting events in her space but Blakeman is hopeful to �ill a calendar with as many events as possible that don’t interfere with the day-to-day operations of her company. Blakeman is also excited to have the three branches of her company represented under the same roof as well as the Lokahi Group has a nonpro�it organization called Lokahi Teams which Blakeman’s husband runs and her kids are displaying clothes from their clothing company called Lokahi clothing in a display room inside the space. Overall, Blakeman is not only excited to share her space with the community but she is stoked for the future that Arizona has to offer. “Arizona is amazing because it’s a ground for innovation, opportunity and growth,” Blakeman said. “There’s so many ideas and talented people that already live here and are continuing to move into this space that you get people who can collaborate since people are coming from everywhere.” Information: Lokahigroup.com
