On Wednesday, July 31, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield joined with the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the opening of the new Utica regional employee office with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Located at 301 Woods Park Dr. in Clinton, the office is home to the region’s 500 plus employees.
Among the speakers were Excellus BCBS President/CEO Jim Reed, Utica Regional President Tony Vitagliano, Chamber Executive Director Kari Puleo and NYS Assemblyman Brian Miller, R, C-New Hartford who delivered a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly.
The new office replaces the Region’s previous office space, which was located in the LaPolla & Ford Business Park in Utica. Employees and guests were treated to refreshments and had the opportunity to look around the space, which has been designed with today’s changing workforce in mind.
“During the pandemic, the world of working only in an office changed for us at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, just like it did for so many,” said Vitagliano. “We found that many of our employees prefer working from home and productivity as well as employee satisfaction both remain very high, reducing the need for an office with a large footprint.”
According to Vitagliano, the new office has more collaborative spaces and fewer traditional cubicles. “Our team has designed a new, modern facility, with a forward-thinking design that encourages our employees to come in and meet as groups either formally or informally,” he explained.
Vitagliano also highlighted the incorporation of the latest technology which enables the opportunity for hybrid meetings where in person groups can meet with those who take the meeting online remotely. “We pride ourselves on being flexible and adaptable to today’s changing workforce and I’m proud of the investments that we have made as a company to work with our employees to create a welcoming environment with a positive work-life balance.”