[Photo: Walker Brands]

Staff and guests enter brand strategy firm Walker Brands through the hub, which includes a kitchen that’s part of the open, airy centerpiece referred to as “brand central.” “We do our best work when we’re together,’’ says President Nancy Walker. Much of the 8,400-sq.-ft. building is devoted to collaborative space. A 14-foot kitchen island is available for snacking, working and chatting. Group tables are topped with paper and crayons. The furniture is on wheels to instantly adapt the space for a workshop or other function. “It’s a recruiting magnet,” Walker says of the office. “It’s flooded with light. It’s colorful. It’s animated.”