Twenty-First Century Cowboy: Simpli.fi's New Fort Worth Stockyards Digs

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It was a momentous day when Fort Worth digital advertising company Simpli.fi moved out of its vine-strewn office on Summit Avenue to the burgeoning Mule Alley development in the Stockyards — a sleek, 80,000-square-foot space decked out with enviable amenities and a design that seamlessly combines modern minimalism with cowboy character.

But there was one thing that didn’t move with the furniture when Simpli.fi came to Mule Alley — the people.

That’s because Simpli.fi was scheduled to move in March 2020, right when the world was shutting down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It was definitely disappointing to not be able to move in, but there were certainly things going on in the world that were more important than that,” says Ryan Horn, senior vice president of marketing. “We were glad that we had the ability to transition to work-from-home, keep the business going, keep supporting our customers — but it was, of course, disappointing to have a brand-new, beautiful building like this and not be able to move into it right away.” 

But now, with precautions lifting and vaccines becoming more readily available, employees are slowly beginning to trickle back into the office, with plans to fully return in September. 

That means, at last, the workers of Simpli.fi can finally partake in all the bells and whistles the office has to offer.

Simpli.fi occupies four spaces in Mule Alley, which historically served as horse and mule barns during the Stockyards’ heyday. Each barn’s exterior facade still retains its respective letter of the alphabet used for identification; Simpli.fi takes up barns A, B, and C on one side of the street, as well as barn G on the other. 

The space’s interior is the handiwork of design firm HKS. It’s a curious combination of seemingly contrasting styles — think modern/contemporary meets historic Western. Modular furniture sits amid concrete pillars with exposed, rusted metal. Bright colors pop against brick still marked with nondescript messaging like “A12,” hearkening back to its past life as a barn. 

But somehow, it works. After all, it’s a digitally-minded company in the most unabashedly Western part of the city. 

“We think we’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head with how it looks,” Horn says. “You definitely know that you’re in an old building, but there’s nothing really old in the building. You’re getting all the modern conveniences but keeping that historic style.”

The office of Simpli.fi — frequently honored as a best place to work by institutions including the national publication, Inc. magazine — isn’t short on extras. The main kitchen is almost like a mini convenience store, stocked with fresh fruit, snacks, and drinks — all free to employees. What you likely won’t find at a 7-Eleven, however, is Simpli.fi’s espresso machine or the Bevi water dispenser that produces customized sparkling water. 

There are plenty of places to play, too. One of the game rooms — that’s right, one of them — features everything from shuffleboard and skee-ball to air hockey and pingpong. Horn says the company is getting a tournament going. 

“We had fun at the last office, we tried to make our work-from-home experience as fun as possible, and now, back in the office here, people are excited to see each other and take advantage of the amenities,” he says. “It’s more of an effort to continue a great culture rather than start and build a new one.”

More practical, work-friendly elements include standing desks, phone booths, high-backed chairs intended to provide soundproofing, and a training room with a retractable glass door. Employees can work at their desks or collaborate in common areas, including the upstairs haylofts transformed into modern conference rooms. 

Perhaps the swanky office is a well-earned perk for the company that’s built its business on workflow and ad-buying software. Each month, Simpli.fi’s advertising platform powers over 120,000 campaigns for 30,000 active advertisers. In July, investment management company Blackstone valued Simpli.fi at approximately $1.5 billion.

Naturally, growth in sales has led to growth in personnel. Horn says the company currently has about 350 employees — not including sales folk across the country — and is “hiring like crazy.” 

What he hopes never changes, however, is Simpli.fi’s focus on culture. 

“We pride ourselves on taking the best care we can of our employees. The happier your employees are, the better work they’ll do, the happier the clients are,” Horn says. “Happy employees, happy customers. You should be able to run a better business if you’re doing the right thing and taking care of your people.”