Offerpad hosts epic Welcome Home party with Governor Ducey

A house isn’t a home until you’ve had your first party! Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting several VIPs from our local community during Offerpad’s official Welcome Home party. This exclusive event gave our neighbors a chance to visit our new home in Chandler, AZ, meet our family and see what makes Offerpad a special place. It was epic.

On May 9, in front of an illustrious audience that included Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, State Rep. Jeff Weninger, Mayor Kevin Hartke, Chandler Chamber CEO Terri Kimble and other big names from around the Valley, we finally cut that glorious Offerpad-orange ribbon and made it official: our new national headquarters is open for business and big things are on the way — we’re just getting started!

The occasion

While it was an exciting opportunity for our team to rub elbows with some central figures within the community, this event was also a major milestone for us as a company. You can trace our humble beginnings back to 2015, the year Brian Bair and his team founded Offerpad. In the years to follow, our innovative approach to buying and selling homes skyrocketed in popularity, spurring rapid growth and a frenzy of new hires. It wasn’t long before we suddenly had a (pretty great) problem on our hands: where can we make hundreds of Offerpad team members feel at home?

After some searching, the perfect site inevitably presented itself: a sprawling, state-of-the-art open office environment in Chandler, AZ, spanning nearly 40,000 square feet. It just clicked — this place was home. After years spent helping other people move freely in the housing market, we finally made a big move of our own — on May 9, we finally got to invite the world in. You know that part in Rocky II when Sylvester Stallone runs the steps? It felt kind of like that.

Apart from what this occasion means to us, we recognize it’s also a big moment for our community. Together, alongside other local businesses and public dignitaries, we’re creating economic opportunity across Arizona and highlighting what makes The Grand Canyon State a great destination for people to live and work — it’s an amazing feeling to play a role in that.

The ceremony

By all accounts, this was a star-studded affair. Throughout the ribbon-cutting ceremony, we heard from big names including Gov. Doug Ducey and Rep. Jeff Weninger. Earlier in the year, Ducey and Weninger coordinated efforts to sign the PropTech sandbox bill — a bill that encouraged the brand of real estate innovation Offerpad is founded upon.

Arizona is becoming a premier destination for tech innovators and Offerpad is building on that reputation. Arizona is going to continue making sure innovative businesses like Offerpad can grow and thrive here for years to come.” – Arizona Governor Ducey said touching on the significance of the event.

On a similar note, Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke described his participation in the ceremony by stating, “I am delighted Offerpad has chosen to keep their East Valley roots by expanding in Chandler. Chandler is known as the Innovation and Technology Hub of the Southwest because of the many innovative companies who have chosen to plant roots in our city, and I look forward to working with Offerpad as they continue to revolutionize the real estate industry.”

The nostalgia

Attendees also had a chance to hear directly from our Offerpad family. CEO Brian Bair touched on the significance of the event in a short speech and took the opportunity to thank the community for embracing Offerpad. Offerpad’s head of brand, Dave Haroldsen, who served as the master of ceremonies for the day, shed light on the company’s culture and what makes Offerpad unique in the iBuyer space.

In the spirit of family, here’s a fun little ‘family home video’ we made to document the big day:

The ceremony was live-streamed for our national Offerpad team members, ensuring they were included in all the festivities. We may have our base in Arizona, but our national markets are a major part of who we are and where we’re going — this was a special day for all Offerpad employees, regardless of state lines.

The eats

A lot of companies would get some fancy pants catering for an event like this, but that’s not really our style. We want people to feel at home at Offerpad — what better way than providing mountains of homemade treats? If any of our guests were complaining about the lack of caviar, we didn’t hear it — their mouths were full of delicious cookies and pie.

*There’s a special ingredient we use in Offerpad cookies — the thing that makes them taste so out-of-this-world amazing. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see what it is.

The swag

No doubt about it, we take the Stuff We All Get pretty serious around here — we had to do it big for the official Welcome Home party. Offerpad team members assembled a pop-up shop for the event, featuring the latest and greatest company gear. Our honored guests received goody bags full of cool stuff including branded sunglasses, t-shirts, thermoses and — best of all — their pick of an orange toaster, ice cream or popsicle maker. It may sound a little over the top, but the ability to make your own frozen treats is necessary when temperatures soar to 120 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the summer. We’re just doing our part.

Offerpad has arrived

The Offerpad Welcome Home party was a day we won’t soon forget, and the culmination of a lot of hard work on behalf of the entire team. Years in the making, it’s finally arrived — Offerpad has put down roots in Chandler, AZ.

We couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead and this is just the beginning — stay tuned!

*The special ingredient is ‘Love.’