The 10 best things from our EF Groundbreaking
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The secret is out! EF Education First is breaking ground on a brand new building in our North Point neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. In typical EF fashion, the announcement was made with lots of pink and excitement—see what happened at our groundbreaking event to kick off the start of construction.
1. It was held inside a circus tent
The tent paid homage to the days when the circus would roll through Boston—the staging area for the circus was located in close proximity to where our new building will be located.
2. Carnival snacks
From pink cotton candy and pink lemonade to popcorn and soft pretzels, there were plenty of munchies to enjoy while watching the performance.
3. A diverse, packed crowd
Our groundbreaking hosted over 2,500 people, including 1,200 EF Education First staff, Hult International Business School students, SKANSKA, Wilson Architects, and a number of Commonwealth and City of Cambridge leaders.
4. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Because without them, none of this would be possible, and Massachusetts wouldn’t be the beautiful place it is to live and work. (See how they do it, here.)
5. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s speech
We all teared up a little when the governor spoke: “There is unity in what you folks do. You bring cultures together, you bring people who don’t know each other together, you bring folks from different walks of life together, you do exactly in this day and age what we need most of all—which is people who know how to find common ground and help people build on it.”
6. EF pink everywhere
From pink confetti and wagons to pink jackets and hats, the entire event was lit up in our favorite color: EF pink.
7. Free swag
Everyone left with a brand-new EF gym bag, completely necessary for taking advantage of all the recreational facilities nearby.
8. Watching our CEO juggle
It turns out our North America CEO is even more talented than we thought: he can juggle!
9. A tailor-made performance by The 7 Fingers
The 7 Fingers, a Montreal-based circus troupe, put on an epic 20-minute performance where they flipped, jumped, skateboarded, and danced across the stage. There was even a BMX-bike that did stunts over our Vice President of Development.
10. The start of something new
We’re beyond excited to be breaking ground on our third building, which is slated for completion in 2019. The new 300,000 square-foot-space will include a public fitness center with a rock climbing wall, small café, public restrooms, hundreds of public bike parking spaces, and student housing for Hult International Business School. We’ll also be adding two new acres of public green space and fitness amenities adjacent to the new building, which will include a “flex field,” sports track, pedestrian pathways and outdoor seating.