Image Gallery: Our Visit to Rackspace HQ
Channel Partners took a tour of Rackspace's unique headquarters in suburban San Antonio, Texas.
![Rackspace cover image Rackspace cover image](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/bltcacedfb5058ed5c0/65250b20bc8356c1fb4370db/Rackspace-Cover-2.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Bird's Eye View
Rackspace moved into the old Windsor Park Mall in 2008 when it outgrew its former headquarters. The structure, referred to as "The Castle," is a colossal 1 million square foot facility, with Rackspace occupying more than two-thirds of it. The company plans to expand in phases in the near future.
The Rackspace HQ gets its nickname “The Castle” from the royal residence, Windsor Castle.
Mall History
Parts of the Windsor Mall still exist, as evident from the Dillard's logo inside a parking structure on site.
Front Desk
The front desk is usually occupied by helpful, friendly and energic "Rackers."
Food Court
Much of the former mall, now Rackspace HQ, is still alive. Rackers kept the food court sign, for example.
Meeting Rooms
Throughout Rackspace HQ you will find both large and small transparent meeting rooms for breakout and brainstorm sessions.
Small meeting rooms are outlined in blue (see above) and can be used as long as they are open. Other, much larger meeting rooms must be reserved; they are red and have themes such as cereal names, game shows or toy brands. Another color you might see is yellow, which suggests a change in elevation from one floor to another.
Slide
That's the "Cheerios" room above. You'll also find Cap'n Crunch and others. Yes, that is a giant slide ready for use. Be careful and have fun. We might have reached Mach 1 speeds on the way down.
Channel Partners + Rackspace
Pictured above after a harrowing, sweat-inducing run down the slide are, left to right: Rick Reed, SVP of sales, Channel Partners; Jolynn Antonacci, senior partner marketing manager, Rackspace; and Thomas Baker, senior account executive, Channel Partners.
Banners & Flags
Probably the most noticeable aesthetic that make Rackspace and all Rackers unique are the banners and flags you’ll see hanging from the ceiling. They might reveal a Racker's tenure, college they attended, or favorite sports team. Streamers are also seen for those with extra flair.
Sales Team
We peeked from above at a sales team providing "fanatical support" to clients.
Wall of Fame
The pride and joy of the Rackspace HQ is the "Fanatical Jacket" award wall of fame, where Rackers are shown wearing the Fanatical Support straitjacket. Here you will find those Rackers that have gone above and beyond for the business, their specific department — and even acts of service in their communities that made a difference.
What is Fanatical Support, you ask? It's what Rackspace calls the results-obsessed customer service and deep technical expertise that’s been part of its DNA since 1999. "It’s at the core of what we do — it drives our business. We’re fanatical about your success, and we’ll go above and beyond to support your business around-the-clock."
The REC
Rackers can work on their health and wellness at The REC: Rackspace Exercise Center. The REC is a state-of-the-art facility with free weights, cardio stations, fitness rooms where Rackers can take classes with personal trainers, as well as receive acupuncture and massage therapy from certified professionals.
You will not have to worry about any B.O. The REC also has a locker room to freshen up before the next meeting!
Ms. Pac-Man, Anyone?
Rackspace also has many areas where employees can decompress. Shown above is a section of their arcade where Rackers can play throwback video games with colleagues.
Ms. Pac-Man, Anyone?
Rackspace also has many areas where employees can decompress. Shown above is a section of their arcade where Rackers can play throwback video games with colleagues.
By Rick Reed and Thomas Baker
2017 has been a big year for Rackspace, which bills itself as the No. 1 managed cloud provider.
The company completed its acquisition of Datapipe earlier this month in a move expected to expand its abilities to help its customers move critical workloads out of their corporate data centers and into the cloud. The integration process already is underway.
The deal, as new channel chief Lisa McLin told us at Channel Partners Evolution this fall, gives partners access to more data centers around the world, as well as a new colocation offering and new opportunities to dive into public-sector sales.
Rackspace also added a new incentive program that matches dollar for dollar deals that new and existing agents generate when selling managed hosting services valued between $10,000 and $150,000 in monthly recurring revenue.
Channel Partners took a tour of Rackspace’s unique headquarters in suburban San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month. Scroll through our image gallery below to see what we learned.
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