MUSCATINE, Iowa–Over the last few years, United Way of Muscatine has grown to provide more services to more people in need. In particular, Aligned Impact Muscatine County, which shares United Way’s space, has increased the number of people it employs, thanks to several grants they received related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the additional people and projects have helped United Way expand their reach, it has also left them a little short on room. Orr shared everyone at United Way knew they needed a bigger location, “just to have more space for the people we would have in our office.”
The week of March 7, United Way moved out of Pearl City Plaza, where they have had their headquarters for almost 13 years, into their new office at 615 Cedar Street, Suite 200 in Muscatine, on the second level of the Community Bank & Trust building.
For some time, United Way of Muscatine Executive Director Shane Orr searched for a new office that could better accommodate the non-profit organization’s needs. “We had been looking for the past year (or more), since the pandemic started,” he elaborated.
Earlier this year, United Way board member Rosy Eichelberger, who also works for Community Bank & Trust, learned that the office space above the bank needed a new tenant and she put Orr in touch with the bank’s president, Joe Steil. Orr and the United Way board found the space agreeable and took the steps necessary to make it United Way’s new home.
Though United Way still has a little work to do to get completely resettled in their new office, they have completed the majority of their move and now have their office staff working out of it. Orr credits the smoothness of the move both to United Way’s employees hard work and the help from the professional movers they received. “We took advantage of River City Movers, and we’re really excited to be in the new space,” he shared.
As United Way of Muscatine’s employees start to settle in their new headquarters, Orr says they have already found it works better for them. “It’s more space for one, and the shape better suits our needs.”
United Way’s previous office had an L shape, making different people’s offices somewhat cut off from each other. The new space has a central meeting room surrounded by individual offices, making it easy for people to work by themselves when they need to but also to join together for group functions. “The layout is better suited to collaboration, and we are excited to use it,” Orr remarked.
Orr also likes the new office’s location, as people can easily access it when downtown on other business. “We knew we wanted to stay in the downtown area, and while we’re not in downtown, we’re not too far away,” he pointed out.
Though United Way of Muscatine has moved only recently, they welcome anyone who would like to pay them a visit or who could use one of their services to come out and see them Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. “If people want to find us, we’re actually in the new space now,” Orr said.
