Rackspace Technology, a renowned homegrown cloud computing company, plans to move its headquarters from the site of the former Windsor Park Mall in Windcrest to a multistory office building near San Antonio’s north side neighborhood of Encino Park, company officials said Oct. 21.
While not announcing a detailed timeline, Chief Marketing Officer Casey Shilling said the company will be departing its home, where Rackspace has occupied 1.2 million square feet of space at the converted shopping mall for more than 14 years.
According to Shilling, Rackspace’s new home will occupy between 75,000-90,000 square feet of space at RidgeWood Plaza II, a 121,000-square-foot, four-story office complex, which local firm Worth and Associates developed between March 2019 and early 2022 near the US 281 North/Loop 1604 interchange.
Shilling said the company in recent years has experienced a shift in how employees get their work done, including more people working from home, thanks in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the changes in our global model and new ways of working, we are relocating this office and investing in the customer and Racker experience in a new, modern location to best serve our business needs in the future,” Shilling said.
According to Shilling, Rackspace surveyed available, suitable real estate around town and used data to determine where most local employees—colloquially called “Rackers”—live. Shilling said that survey led the company to the Loop 1604/US 281 area.
Shilling said the company is in the midst of a request for proposals process in seeking a design partner for the new corporate office, adding that Rackspace will finalize a design in conjunction with employee and stakeholder input over the coming months.
“Our new headquarters will reduce our local carbon footprint, better accommodate the number of Rackers who work on site and allow for future expansion,” Shilling said.
Shilling said Rackspace will continue some kind of working relationship with the city of Windcrest but did not divulge details.
“Rackspace has a long history of community support in both Windcrest and the city of San Antonio, and that, of course, won’t change with this move,” he said.
Windcrest Mayor Dan Reese said Rackspace officials privately informed him and other local leaders about the company’s decision to move shortly before the announcement was made public.
Company officials said Rackspace, once a public company now held privately, employs more than 6,800 people worldwide, runs 40 data centers and has customers in 120 countries.
Reese said Rackspace pledged to honor an extended master economic incentive agreement, a document city and company officials signed in January 2020 that calls for a substantial payment to the city if it were terminated early.
Reese said the city of Windcrest and Rackspace will discuss how best to make for a smooth transition.
“Our relationship with Rackspace has been positive, and we will be working on transitioning the site to something productive to Windcrest,” Reese said.
Company representatives said the existing structure will be put on the market.
