Yardstik Moves HQ to Downtown Minneapolis | Twin Cities Business

While many companies continue to shed office space, Minnesota startup Yardstik is doubling its workspace.

Last week, the employment screening tech company moved to a new 14,000-square-foot office in downtown Minneapolis. The new space is actually more than double the size of the startup’s previous 6,000-square-foot office at the Pentagon Park development in Edina. Matt Meents, Yardstik’s founder and CEO, said the company needed more space to accommodate its growth.

“We ran out of space” in the old office, Meents said in a Wednesday afternoon interview. “There weren’t enough workspaces if we all came in.”

Today, Yardstik employs around 50 people in total, 30 of which are based in the Twin Cities. The remainder work remotely across the country. Meents estimates that local employees come into the office about three times a week on average.

Meents added that the company’s customer base grew by about 300% last year, and he expects to double it this year. Yardstik, which completed a $12 million raise in fall, sells software designed to automate employment screening. Some of the company’s current customers include Dispatch, Skipcart, and Sylvan Learning Centers.

Though Yardstik hasn’t been at the new office for very long – the company officially moved in April 8 – Meents said it’s been a positive change so far. And employee feedback has been “so far, so good,” he said.

To be sure, changes can be hard for organizations of any size or age. But, for startups, it’s imperative to get comfortable with quick changes. “As a startup, we’re constantly evolving. Our people, because they’re used to startup mentality, are embracing that change,” Meents said.

Yardstik’s new office is on the sixth floor of the 100 Washington Square tower in downtown Minneapolis. The startup has signed a multi-year lease for the space.

Built in the early ‘80s, Washington Square spans 22 floors, nearly all of which are occupied, according to the property’s website. The tower includes parking underneath, along with a fitness center and food hall.

Meents said “downtown has got a lot of good energy, and we want to be part of that as a growing startup.” He believes the new location will make it easier to hold employee gatherings, with easy access to Target Field and other downtown amenities.

“What we’re seeing with this new space,” Meents said, “is a ton of energy. I feel like it’s creating a competitive advantage. We’re moving faster, and we’re seeing a lot of relationships being created between departments.”

Before founding Yardstik, Meents founded and ran another company called Magnet360, a Salesforce consulting firm that was later aqcuired by India-based IT firm Mindtree in 2016.