A Look Inside Tech Company SAS Institute's Headquarters

SAS TRX class.JPG — This huge North Carolina campus offers plenty of perks for employees. SAS

2017-10-21T15:45:00.000Z

SAS is a software company based in Cary, North Carolina.
Its 900-acre campus offers a ton of amenities and perks.
Take a look inside.

Imagine you got to work in a village-sized campus with your nearly 6,000 coworkers. Some of your company's perks included a soccer field, daycare, tons of beautiful artwork, a pool, manicures, and as much food as you could ever want.

Well, that's just a day at work for SAS employees.

"SAS has always believed that if you treat people well, keep them challenged with interesting work, and respect them and their contributions, they will do their best work for you," Shannon Heath, senior communications specialist at SAS, told Business Insider. "Simply put — treat employees like they make a difference, and they will make a difference."

Back in the 1960s, SAS began as a humble software development project at North Carolina State University.

Since it became a company in 1976, its products have been adopted across Fortune 500 companies, and its annual revenue has grown to $3.2 billion worldwide.

The design of its headquarters reflects both its status as a tech giant and its original academic routes.

Here's a look at the headquarters:

SAS is the largest employer in Cary, North Carolina. There, its headquarters inhabits a sprawling and lush 900-acre campus. The space tends to draw on the company's collegiate roots.

Source: Cary Chamber of Commerce

"Putting people first and respecting the knowledge they have has always been a priority for the company," Heath said. "We believe creating a great work environment that people want to come to each day is critical for employees and for the business."

Buildings take up about 300 acres of the property, while 600 acres are dedicated to bodies of water, woodlands, and open, grassy spaces. The whole area is criss-crossed with trails for employees to walk, jog, and bike on.

It's also clean, in terms of the energy it uses. Part of the campus is powered by eight solar installations generate an annual total of nearly 4 million kilowatt-hours.

The campus is dotted with perks and amenities, especially when it comes to employee fitness.

Folks can work up a sweat in the 73,000-square-foot fitness center. There are 23 group fitness classes every week. Heath said around 73% of employees use the facilities and participate in the classes two-to-three times a week. They also have the option to receive one-on-one fitness counseling.

If employees are in the mood for a quick pick-up game, the headquarters also features a volleyball court, a basketball court, a softball diamond, tennis courts, a soccer field, and a track ...

... not to mention a 9-hole disc golf course.

There's even a space where you can knock out a few intense rounds of racquetball with your colleagues. For the post-workout wind down, employees can hit the steam rooms located in the campus' locker rooms ...

... or cool down by swimming a few laps in the company pool.

In additional to trying out surfboard yoga, employees can take a centering break and visit the meditation garden for a group or solo session.

Employees who are parents can access the campus' daycare, as well as subsidies for off-site childcare.

Workers can also get manicures, hair cuts, and sessions with seven licensed massage therapists on the campus.

Or they can swing by the headquarters' tricked-out digital studio to access top executives.

"We are a collaborative culture," Heath added. "Our buildings are designed with collaboration areas so that employees can step outside of their office and collaborate with teammates to solve problems and innovate."

SAS boasts an art collection of 4,600 works, including 25 outdoor sculptures. "Creativity is especially important to SAS because software is a product of the mind," Heath said. "We respect that creativity doesn't come on demand, and we also understand there are times when people need to be out of the office."

SAS employees can tap into their creativity by reading through some of the 10,000 books in the campus' library, which it shares with local colleges.

They can also take a gander at the colorful mineral collection owned by SAS CEO's Jim Goodnight. The collection features minerals from Afghanistan to Zaire, a dinosaur egg, and arrowheads dating back thousands of years.

If SAS employees want to meet up, the three coffee shops on campus can make for a cozy meeting space.

When it comes to food, there are also plenty of options. Every day, employees dig into an average 1,422 breakfasts and 3,900 lunches throughout the campus's eight cafés, coffee shops, and other food service locations.

The various cafés offer different options, including grab-and-go meals, coffee bars, takeout breakfasts, and full-service dining.

One cafeteria, the Marketplace, features tons of options, including fresh fish, stir fry, and pizza. The food is subsidized, and employees can pick up free beverages in the café lines. Snacks found on every floor in every building are also free.

Employees can also hit up the salad bar ...

... and try out the sushi options, too.

Wine, hams, and casserole are also on the menu during the holiday season.

Heath said the perks are all about providing employees with a great space to work. "We trust and respect our employees and focus on the work they're doing — how they go about that is less of an issue," she said. "This builds trust and respect for both managers and employees."

SAS CEO Jim Goodnight has said it's his job to keep his employees happy enough to want to come to work every day. "As such, employees feel respected and challenged, while empowered to take risks and innovate," Heath told Business Insider.

This $3.2 billion tech company you've never heard of has insane perks including massage therapists, a pool, and woodside yoga

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

This $3.2 billion tech company you've never heard of has insane perks including massage therapists, a pool, and woodside yoga

SAS is the largest employer in Cary, North Carolina. There, its headquarters inhabits a sprawling and lush 900-acre campus. The space tends to draw on the company's collegiate roots.

"Putting people first and respecting the knowledge they have has always been a priority for the company," Heath said. "We believe creating a great work environment that people want to come to each day is critical for employees and for the business."

Buildings take up about 300 acres of the property, while 600 acres are dedicated to bodies of water, woodlands, and open, grassy spaces. The whole area is criss-crossed with trails for employees to walk, jog, and bike on.

It's also clean, in terms of the energy it uses. Part of the campus is powered by eight solar installations generate an annual total of nearly 4 million kilowatt-hours.

The campus is dotted with perks and amenities, especially when it comes to employee fitness.

Folks can work up a sweat in the 73,000-square-foot fitness center. There are 23 group fitness classes every week. Heath said around 73% of employees use the facilities and participate in the classes two-to-three times a week. They also have the option to receive one-on-one fitness counseling.

If employees are in the mood for a quick pick-up game, the headquarters also features a volleyball court, a basketball court, a softball diamond, tennis courts, a soccer field, and a track ...

... not to mention a 9-hole disc golf course.

There's even a space where you can knock out a few intense rounds of racquetball with your colleagues. For the post-workout wind down, employees can hit the steam rooms located in the campus' locker rooms ...

... or cool down by swimming a few laps in the company pool.

In additional to trying out surfboard yoga, employees can take a centering break and visit the meditation garden for a group or solo session.

Employees who are parents can access the campus' daycare, as well as subsidies for off-site childcare.

Workers can also get manicures, hair cuts, and sessions with seven licensed massage therapists on the campus.

Or they can swing by the headquarters' tricked-out digital studio to access top executives.

"We are a collaborative culture," Heath added. "Our buildings are designed with collaboration areas so that employees can step outside of their office and collaborate with teammates to solve problems and innovate."

SAS employees can tap into their creativity by reading through some of the 10,000 books in the campus' library, which it shares with local colleges.

They can also take a gander at the colorful mineral collection owned by SAS CEO's Jim Goodnight. The collection features minerals from Afghanistan to Zaire, a dinosaur egg, and arrowheads dating back thousands of years.

If SAS employees want to meet up, the three coffee shops on campus can make for a cozy meeting space.

When it comes to food, there are also plenty of options. Every day, employees dig into an average 1,422 breakfasts and 3,900 lunches throughout the campus's eight cafés, coffee shops, and other food service locations.

The various cafés offer different options, including grab-and-go meals, coffee bars, takeout breakfasts, and full-service dining.

One cafeteria, the Marketplace, features tons of options, including fresh fish, stir fry, and pizza. The food is subsidized, and employees can pick up free beverages in the café lines. Snacks found on every floor in every building are also free.

Employees can also hit up the salad bar ...

... and try out the sushi options, too.

Wine, hams, and casserole are also on the menu during the holiday season.

Heath said the perks are all about providing employees with a great space to work. "We trust and respect our employees and focus on the work they're doing — how they go about that is less of an issue," she said. "This builds trust and respect for both managers and employees."

SAS CEO Jim Goodnight has said it's his job to keep his employees happy enough to want to come to work every day. "As such, employees feel respected and challenged, while empowered to take risks and innovate," Heath told Business Insider.

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

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