TELUS Digital: High-Impact Tech Work With Roots

A Virginia-Based Vision

Founded in Charlottesville  in 2008 by three people building mobile apps, WillowTree, now known as TELUS Digital, began as a small company focused on software strategy, design, and development.

The company has expanded into a full-service digital product consultancy that helps many of the world’s leading brands. They now employ more than 1,000 team members in offices in North Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York.

Even after its 2023 acquisition by TELUS International Company, WillowTree sought to stay in Virginia. But back in 2019, when they began exploring possible corporate headquarters sites, VEDP and Albemarle County wanted to make sure the company remained in Virginia.

Building the Creative Workforce of the Future

For its new site, TELUS envisioned a space where designers, project managers, researchers, and engineers creatively collaborate and develop products that people love while upholding the company’s core values.

These needs aligned with WillowTree’s existing community. They are able to avoid high costs while reaping the benefits of a smaller metro area. This includes short commutes and opportunities for outdoor recreation to attract and retain employees, as well as access to top-tier tech talent provided by nearby institutions like the University of Virginia, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and Germanna Community College. 

But what existing building could best serve the company's needs?

History Meets Innovation: A One-of-a-Kind Site

Enter Albemarle County’s 10-acre Woolen Mills site on the Rivanna River. In operation from the 1870s to the 1960s and once home to one of the largest mills in the nation, this nationally recognized historic location sat empty for decades. Then, in 2017, it was reimagined as a commercial and residential site.

Woolen Mills presented a unique opportunity for TELUS to occupy a renovated headquarters with history, character, and space to grow. The company would be able to customize the site and consolidate its workforce in one location while making its goal of a 21st-century corporate campus a reality.

A Home in Virginia

In 2018, the company announced a $20.6 million investment to relocate its headquarters to Woolen Mills, creating 200 new jobs, introducing world-class amenities for employees, and bringing a shuttered historical asset back to life.

It was very important to me to be able to keep WillowTree in Virginia. We are tremendously grateful to the Commonwealth of Virginia and Albemarle County for their financial support, and we hope that this partnership is mutually beneficial and long-lasting. The region’s dynamic workforce and strong quality of life allow us to attract the best employees and support our mission of creating products people love. We intend to add more than 200 members to our team over the next two years, and we are delighted to be able to do it here in Albemarle County.

Tobias Dengel, President, TELUS Digital Solutions (formerly WillowTree)