CSC’s new Wilmington HQ is a symbol of its resiliency

From Route 48, two miles west of the 141 junction, the new CSC complex looks a lot like other corporate complexes. It’s newer, it gleams a bit more, but it isn’t until you drive up to it that you can see that this isn’t an ordinary headquarters. Its modern facade is accented by a large, modern sculpture — a tribute to 9/11, symbolizing roots growing from the rubble.
On Sept. 11, 2001, CSC had offices on the 87th floor of Two World Trade Center. By some miracle, all its employees got out alive that day. The sculpture, The Delaware Root by Steve Tobin, was dedicated September 11, 2017.
CSC was founded in Wilmington in 1899. It might sound strange that a tech company is over 100 years old, but CSC — formerly known as Corporation Service Company — has managed to evolve with the times.
In the beginning, founders Josiah Marvel and Christopher Ward helped businesses incorporate and operate. The company still does, but today, after years of growth and acquisitions and a range of 21st-century services like online branding and domain name management, it is almost entirely digital.
“Even the documentation services, where it used to be all on paper sent through the mail, are all digital now,” said VP of Technology, EJ Dealy.
Before the new headquarters opened three months ago, CSC had employees spread out in different Wilmington locations. Now it’s consolidated — and growing. Last month, the company announced that it would be hiring 80 new employees, most in Delaware.
“Our corporate culture is very service oriented,” said Dealy. “We want people with strong communication skills, who can work with a team and collaborate.”
Hiring good IT and tech people is competitive — Dealy notes that, while most of the companies in the area aren’t direct competitors, they do compete when it comes to hiring. And with companies like JPMorgan Chase opening modern tech centers, CSC knew it had to offer an exceptional workspace worthy of Silicon Valley to compete. They brought in architect and design firm NORR and Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects to make it happen.
On the inside, CSC HQ looks little like a corporate building of even a decade ago. A huge screen towers over the atrium, which is bright and designed for comfort.

Almost everywhere you look, there are indoor and outdoor lounge spaces intended for work as much as for taking breaks. On the 4th floor, a deck overlooks a “green roof” covered in natural grasses.

For a large single company building, it feels closer to a coworking space like The Mill than what comes to mind when you think of a corporate office.
The old relics of corporations past in downtown Wilmington would do well to take note — spaces like this are not just for startups anymore.