Hillberg & Berk eyes global expansion
Jewelry firm that began at kitchen table opens new facility in Warehouse District
Ten years ago Rachel Mielke, founder and CEO of Hillberg & Berk, moved her jewelry company into a house on McIntyre Street with four employees. Prior to that the company had been based at her kitchen table.
On Tuesday, the whirlwind growth of the company was showcased with a media tour of the company’s new 31,000-square-foot headquarters in the Warehouse District.
“A lot of growth and expansion has happened in 10 years and I couldn’t be more thankful to the community and to the incredible people who have worked from Day 1 for this company,” Mielke said.
“This allows the company to really aggressively expand across Canada and eventually around the world. And we’re just so excited as a company to be able to do that,” she added.
Earlier this month the company moved into the former Kozan’s Furniture building. Hillberg & Berk completely redesigned the space to house everything from its executive offices to production and shipping.
“There’s a ton of efficiencies that we’re able to create now because of being all under one space. And we’re excited about the opportunity for growth and expansion that we have now that we’re all in one space together,” Mielke said.
Prior to moving into the new space, the company was operating out of three spaces, including the original location on McIntyre Street.
Hillberg & Berk now includes two retail locations in Regina, McIntyre Street and the Cornwall Centre, along with a store at Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon with a second location set to open in The Centre by Christmas. There are two locations in Edmonton as well, with a Calgary store opening in time for Christmas.
The new headquarters allows for staff expansion. Hillberg & Berk currently employees 160 people. With the new building and plans for future retail expansion, Mielke expects to have a staff of 200 by Christmas.
“We’ve been interviewing pretty much non-stop over the last three years. We have new people starting for sure every week, almost every day,” she said.
The new facility features a number of upgrades for the company. Previously the marketing department was using a tiny space to put together the social media and advertising content, however, there is now a full studio for the department to use.
As well, there is a creative room to help foster the employees’ inspiration.
Other highlights of the building include a large staff lounge at the back of the building.
“It’s just a really beautiful space that brings everybody together and the buzz and energy that comes out of that space when we get the entire team together is incredible,” Mielke said.
Prior to this, the employees didn’t really have a lounge according to Mielke. The new area includes a full kitchen, lunchroom tables and a TV area.
This allows the company to really aggressively expand .... And we’re just so excited as a company to be able to do that.
RACHEL MIELKE