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source4mini t1_j5p7vd5 wrote

LEGO executives currently voting on a commemorative set to celebrate the move: Fenway or a Dunkin

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sofiaviolet t1_j5p9u23 wrote

Compromise: Fenway in their biggest conference room, and build the inevitable Dunks location in the lobby out of Legos.

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BradMarchandsNose t1_j5ps7sf wrote

I’m surprised they don’t have a Fenway one already. John Henry probably nickel and diming them for more money

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mejelic t1_j5q0tut wrote

They have a fenway on display in the lego land at assembly.

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NovaPrime15 t1_j5t8ixc wrote

I’d pay an amount of money for a Fenway set that a financial advisor would call “worrying”

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mattgm1995 t1_j5rhm6m wrote

Get the big Fenway which has multiple Dunkin’s in it

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ZetaInk t1_j5pkoi3 wrote

The cheap and quick building solution the city needs

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hooskies t1_j5ps578 wrote

>cheap

Someone hasn’t looked at Lego prices recently!

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spdougherty t1_j5r26dy wrote

They’re so expensive!! I want to get back into Lego after over a decade, but I can’t justify buying any cool sets

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candidcamerapeepshow t1_j5phijw wrote

The HQ employees must be shitting brick once they realize the CoL in Boston…

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UltravioletClearance t1_j5pspq0 wrote

Enfield CT is in the Springfield MA metro area. Yikes. I hope all current and future workers are getting significant pay raises.

Companies insisting on putting their HQs in the most expensive neighborhoods of the most expensive city in the country then refusing to pay workers enough to live anywhere near the office really grinds my gears.

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fireball_jones t1_j5pwlm3 wrote

On the other hand try getting someone to move to Enfield.

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veryverycoolfellow t1_j5pytsn wrote

Exactly. Enfield is trash, Springfield is trash. Boston is expensive but the pay compensate accordingly in the area, especially if you’re willing to live within a 30-40 min commute it’s not that bad. Moving out of Enfield to Boston is the smartest move to make, Boston is expensive yes, but the quality of life out surpasses basically every city in the northeast by a mile.

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spedmunki t1_j5q8mpp wrote

There’s plenty of nice suburbs around there though. I know a lot of people who make bank in Springfield/Hartford area, but live in nice suburbs like Longmeadow, Glastonbury, Avon, Simsbury, etc

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StuckinSuFu t1_j5qlbtl wrote

My Sister in law makes a pretty penny as a doctor in Hartford and she lives out near Avon. Its a lovely area.

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Roszo21 t1_j5qvgpr wrote

Most those suburbs are still close to an hour commute from Enfield but the COL difference is huge. You can get a large 3 bed 2 bath home with a big yard in a really good school district for $600k. Good luck finding that within an hour drive of Boston.

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TakenOverByBots t1_j5rdau4 wrote

My parents' 5 br sold for less than 300K last year in a suburb even closer to Enfield. If people really don't care about being in a wealthy district, you can get really inexpensive houses.

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memeintoshplus t1_j5rloxv wrote

Enfield is a pretty mediocre town, but the adjacent towns Longmeadow, East Windsor, and Suffield are pretty nice. Honestly, I'd be willing to move down there, I'd be living a lot more comfortably than I'd be living here in Boston.

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West_Ernmass t1_j5s6bcr wrote

The Lego facility in Enfield is just over the border of East Longmeadow.

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spedmunki t1_j5r5yng wrote

Try 30 minutes.

The COL still stands. The quality of home and school you get there compared to the same price around Boston is way better.

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veryverycoolfellow t1_j5rh06m wrote

The Boston suburbs school districts are the best in the country you’re literally delusional

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rfuree11 t1_j5rn6zi wrote

The CT towns /u/spedmunki specified all have school districts that could easily hang with those in the metro Boston area. It's not like CT is renowned for shitty schools or anything. I grew up in the Hartford area and went through a highly ranked school district (actually a rival of Glastonbury). The house prices there are literally 50% of what the same house would cost for me here in Wakefield. Property taxes are slightly higher, but not by much.

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veryverycoolfellow t1_j5rguxq wrote

Mansfield is 50 minutes away. Basically everything on 495 is 45 minutes away. Keep justify living in western mass, it’s humorous. Anything besides long meadow and the valley is basically irrelevant.

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veryverycoolfellow t1_j5r014z wrote

Plenty of places within an hour of Boston will give you that.. and actually way better lol. Mansfield, Easton, Arlington… basically any town off the 495 belt. The best western mass towns are mediocre by eastern mass standards, aside from a handful

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dante662 t1_j5qb192 wrote

To make it even worse the Lego facility in Enfield is basically surrounded by CT state prisons.

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elykl12 t1_j5trlt0 wrote

Yeah, I mean what else would you build the prisons out of?

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dante662 t1_j5tw9sp wrote

Line the perimeter with random blocks on the ground, no one would dare tread there to escape.

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Maxpowr9 t1_j5q13fy wrote

It's why many are predicting a lot of rural hospitals are gonna start closing like crazing this decade. What nurse/doctor wants to move to the middle of nowhere for meh pay compared to a major city?

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Novacek_Yourself t1_j5q6dz8 wrote

My wife is a physician in Boston and we have had offers to double her salary to move to remote areas of the mid west.

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Signal_Key_9200 t1_j5r19i7 wrote

You probably know this isn't uncommon in medical professions.

If ya'll take it, I really hope you've spent time there first.

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nukular_iv t1_j5ujudj wrote

The belief that doctors are paid top dollar in Boston is really really wrong. The SUPPLY of doctors in boston is very very high. There is no need to pay top dollar.

They can make more elsewhere. Some in extremely good parts of the country that cost significantly less.

0

[deleted] t1_j5q5dtz wrote

[deleted]

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Maxpowr9 t1_j5qdfg5 wrote

It's why traveling nurses skyrocketed last year. It's essentially a last ditch effort to keep the hospital open but a lot of the rural ones are drowning in red ink. It's the equivalent of taking out a payday loan to stay afloat.

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StuckinSuFu t1_j5qlek1 wrote

Locums make a boat load of money doing near permanent contacts in rural areas.

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scolfin t1_j5q1yiy wrote

Better than the popular solution of some random exurb precisely halfway between two spokes of the T.

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3720-To-One t1_j5ptkgn wrote

Why would the executives care?

It’s not like they’ll be affected.

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TightBoysenberry_ t1_j5pt316 wrote

It's not companies. It's the C suite who want to live somewhere better than bumfuck CT, so it's easier for them to catch flights.

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SkiingAway t1_j5ui1p1 wrote

Their current HQ is 10 minutes from BDL/Hartford, which has a pretty solid flight schedule/destination map and is the (very distant) #2 airport in New England for passengers.

That said, it's one weakness beyond "not being Boston" may be the issue for a European company - no great way to fly to Europe without a connection that's basically taking you out of the way besides seasonal flights to Ireland.

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wsdog t1_j5r0upd wrote

Guess why it's expensive. Because it's desirable.

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candidcamerapeepshow t1_j5ptmj9 wrote

I reckon corporations HQing in premier cities is akin to designer brands putting their stores in the cities (sometimes for a loss) for the cosmopolitan marketing appeal.

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UltravioletClearance t1_j5pxnzv wrote

A lot of times companies use these moves to force out their older workers with families and replace them with fresh college grads living with 6 roommates.

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Badtakesingeneral t1_j5q4q88 wrote

If WFH completely untethers companies and employees from the same location, I think big name companies are going to increasingly set up their corporate HQs in premier global cities with favorable corporate taxes.

Plus I think they’re likely going to snag a good deal on lease space - Especially if they’re looking to move downtown.

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asianyo t1_j5qi0wh wrote

COLA adjustments, my friend, COLA adjustments. It’s always better, assuming they are accurately calculated, because you can put more away for retirement into pretax retirement accounts.

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trimtab28 t1_j5rl13j wrote

>Companies insisting on putting their HQs in the most expensive neighborhoods of the most expensive city in the country then refusing to pay workers enough to live anywhere near the office really grinds my gears.

What a relief Lego is dedicated to its humanitarian mission by moving to Boston instead of Manhattan! Truly looking out for the little guy... er... minifigure!

0

free_to_muse t1_j5t6bu5 wrote

Companies will pay what employees will accept and not much more. It confuses me when people get irked that a company isn’t operating primarily as a charity for their workers. The job market is a market and employees get the market rate. When you go buy a company’s product for $50, do you throw in an extra $20 as a donation? Then you shouldn’t be surprised that the employer isn’t doing that for you.

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Chimsley99 t1_j5q4wvr wrote

Seems weird that they’d want to move in to Boston and not on the outskirts.

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SphaeraEstVita t1_j5q7grb wrote

Why? Working in Boston vs some random suburb would be huge for recruiting.

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UltravioletClearance t1_j5qz3fm wrote

I guess I have to wonder, who are they trying to recruit? People with experience either got priced out to the exurbs or moved to the suburbs to raise a family. The only "talent" you have in the Boston metro area is recent college grads and juniors living with multiple roommates while saving up to buy a home along 495.

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candidcamerapeepshow t1_j5r1sgw wrote

Maybe the move is mostly just symbolic in nature like GE’s HQ Boston relocation. It only benefits the top executives who probably don’t want to commute from suburban CT to JFK/LGA airport for work travel to Lego Denmark.

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adoucett t1_j5rynda wrote

You have Bradley international right there my dude

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AboyNamedBort t1_j5tvomu wrote

Not sure if serious but Bradley has only one direct flight to Europe and zero to Asia.

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Chimsley99 t1_j5q9r02 wrote

But then they must pay a premium to the employees. In my mind being 20 min outside the city would mean likely an easier commute but you’re still close to Boston so you’re getting that boon to recruiting. Not like I’m saying they should move to north western MA

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man2010 t1_j5qgb60 wrote

It's only an easier commute from the surrounding towns, compared to downtown Boston which offers commuting options from the entire metro. Like, if Lego decided to put their headquarters in Norwood then they're going to struggle to hire someone from Arlington, but putting their headquarters in Boston makes it possible to hire from both.

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Affectionate-Panic-1 t1_j5qo1kt wrote

People underestimate the commuter rail. It's way better to be in downtown Boston and commute via commuter rail than to drive to anything car dependent within 128.

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AccousticMotorboat t1_j5qxbke wrote

Not everyone drives or wants to.

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R_Morley t1_j5todvv wrote

it amazes me that anyone wants to drive in mass

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vhalros t1_j5tqlfj wrote

Well, its the classic Massachusetts compromise: We can't agree how to improve transportation. But we can always come together and make all modes of transportation awful for every one, with bicycle lanes that just randomly stop and throw you into traffic, subway cars thirty years past their expiration dates, and car swallowing pot holes.

Pick your poison.

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AccousticMotorboat t1_j5tol5q wrote

I avoid it whenever possible. I logged nearly as many miles on my bike as I drove this year.

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Hribunos t1_j5tvtlo wrote

I once worked for a tech company that moved from Boston to Framingham. They lost 70% of their engineering staff and it killed the company. A lot of the really desirable staff in the Boston area live in the city and DO NOT want to commute out.

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MazW t1_j5ua1rm wrote

Also it's easier to commute into the city rather from suburb to suburb.

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vhalros t1_j5tqdej wrote

Personally, you'd have to pay me a lot more to work in the "outskirts" where I would probably have a substantial drive to work. The quality of life downgrade would be pretty big.

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HammerfestNORD t1_j5pp9rg wrote

Meh, they can just build a lil' hut of Legos over at Methadone Mile.

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memeintoshplus t1_j5rleis wrote

Hopefully they give them the option to work remotely, you can buy a beautiful home in the Springfield-Hartford area for the price of a shack or shoebox here in Boston.

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dperry1973 t1_j5qji61 wrote

MIT and Wentworth students are going to go NUTS about it. Once again Boston claims the prize for being a city for nerds and geeks.

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RailRoad_Candy t1_j5pjak7 wrote

Will they be leasing a building that also costs 25 cents a brick?

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Pittsburgh_Bob t1_j5q08cv wrote

There is so much horrible negativity in this thread for basically no reason

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squarerootofapplepie t1_j5q7gk8 wrote

First time on /r/Boston? Horrible negativity for no reason is what this sub does best.

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troccolins t1_j5q84y5 wrote

Everything except unimportant sht like status updates on Dunkin Donuts cups left in unreachable places on a train track

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Kirby_with_a_t t1_j5s00b6 wrote

I mean this is massachusetts. We in mass use negativity and shit talking kinda like gallows humor.

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MarquisJames t1_j5ppyo3 wrote

we better get a fucking zakim or fenway piece from this.

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therealcmj t1_j5pgvu1 wrote

Will this go as well as the GE HQ move did for them?

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-CalicoKitty- t1_j5pj2ub wrote

GE stock has dropped like 90% from it's high, so I don't think the company is doing well. I'm sure LEGO is doing fine though.

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therealcmj t1_j5po0g3 wrote

> GE stock has dropped like 90% from it’s high, so I don’t think the company is doing well.

Exactly. That’s the joke.

> I’m sure LEGO is doing fine though.

For now. But they just announced their move to Boston.

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spedmunki t1_j5qvlhc wrote

That was right after their disastrous divestiture of GE Capital. I’d be more concerned if like Sears announced they were moving here…

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morrowgirl t1_j5pyt2z wrote

Not just that, but it's splitting into three separate companies so that big headquarters is no longer necessary.

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downwardspiralstairs t1_j5qgn2s wrote

There better be a USS Constitution released after the move.

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locke_5 t1_j5rss0i wrote

Hell even adding Boston to the skylines series would suffice

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KoenigseggAgera t1_j5u6c81 wrote

That would be amazing but they probably wouldn’t do it due to its connection to the military.

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downwardspiralstairs t1_j5uh0c3 wrote

That didn't matter with the space shuttle

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KoenigseggAgera t1_j5ujb6a wrote

Correct me if I’m wrong but the space shuttle was flown by NASA, who at its core is a civilian space agency with no military affiliations, even if they have done work with the military. On the other hand, the USS Constitution is a fully commissioned ship of the United States Navy.

I’m just trying to get the facts together, but yeah, I would really love a USS Constitution build.

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downwardspiralstairs t1_j5ukydc wrote

The space shuttle lunched spy satellites and had classified lunches all the time.

−2

scw OP t1_j625l26 wrote

Sign me up for classified lunches!

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donkeyrocket t1_j5uleaq wrote

A better argument would be the pirate sets with tall ships much like the USS Constitution. Not sure why you're under the impression the Space Shuttle was military in any way. Launching military satellites or potentially having active-duty astronauts doesn't make the vehicle military.

I still think they'll avoid it as those old sets aren't a direct reference to any military vessels.

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downwardspiralstairs t1_j5un66l wrote

The USS Constitution is technically still a ship of the US Navy but it's more of a living museum and only stays part of the Navy because the DOD has the largest budget on the planet.

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downwardspiralstairs t1_j5v3f58 wrote

That's the thing because they have the pirate ships and the USS Constitution famously fought the Tripolitan pirates off the Barbary coast which was a big deal in 1805.

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donkeyrocket t1_j5vlq47 wrote

I mean, as your other comment points out, it is still very much an "active" US military vessel.

LEGO often catches flak for the increased presence of weapons in their sets (like the entire Star Wars line) and many argue that is at odds with their ethos of not producing sets that promote violence. I agree that it is sometimes hypocritical. Their defense is the "weapon-like" elements are in fantasy settings and not real-life scenarios that promote violence. Which a military ship (even as a glorified museum) would be counter to.

This is all besides the initial point that the USS Constitution isn't anything like the Space Shuttle in terms of military use. One carried military cargo at times while the other actually engaged in battles.

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TheAVnerd t1_j5qe97h wrote

Oh man how come there isn’t a “Storrowed” set?

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trimtab28 t1_j5rl7wr wrote

I want a Back Bay Station set, complete with smoldering orange line cars

"Build the station! Build the T cars! Hey..!!!"

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ToaMexx t1_j5tkr1p wrote

I read it in the commercial voice

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epiccabbage123 t1_j5qu0a6 wrote

Can they open a lego store in the middle of tge city i dont have a car and cant justify the 2.5 hour train / bus / walk to south shore or somerville :))))

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memeintoshplus t1_j5rm2m7 wrote

A big flagship store at the new headquarters would be pretty neat, would've loved to have had something like that when I was super into Legos when I was a kid.

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locke_5 t1_j5rsu3c wrote

There's a LEGO store in Braintree

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TightBoysenberry_ t1_j5p7zgx wrote

Do lego engineers make enough to afford living here?

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Lemonio t1_j5q5buf wrote

How is this any different from many of the existing jobs in Boston Sure r/Boston loves complaining about cost of living but it doesn’t seem that relevant hetr

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stoplightrave t1_j5qlco1 wrote

I don't think Lego US does any engineering. At least I didn't see any jobs on their website, just marketing, retail logistics, etc. The engineering is probably all done in Denmark and the US office is just sales

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steezyaspie t1_j5qh2ms wrote

Plastics engineers generally make great money and Lego has extremely good plastics manufacturing. I'd have to imagine they're well compensated and/or will receive a bump from the move.

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trimtab28 t1_j5rle3i wrote

They're hiring for the future Boston location for designers if you're curious

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dme76 t1_j5qv94t wrote

I wonder if the giant Lego blocks outside the Enfield CT building will make the move to Boston too?

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DoodMonkey t1_j5ry9x9 wrote

Boston is the greatest city on the planet, so it make sense to me.

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arch_llama t1_j5sjes2 wrote

CT isn't happy https://www.reddit.com/r/Connecticut/comments/10k8bm8/lego_is_leaving/

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R_Morley t1_j5tngbd wrote

My fav comment is "I don't want to live in fucking Massachusetts." CT people are so strange.

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LordConnecticut t1_j5vkhfm wrote

To be fair, having lived in both, they’re definitely more different then they first appear…and “Boston” is much different then “Massachusetts”.

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R_Morley t1_j5w37di wrote

No, that's not the point. The point is the Commonwealth is the greatest place on earth. They should be green with envy! As Lego has shown us--there is only one city in new england worth a damn, and that's the City on a Hill. Sicut patribus sit deus nobis !

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LordConnecticut t1_j5w7dzh wrote

Lol I can’t tell if you’re serious

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R_Morley t1_j5wy799 wrote

I have traveled across this globe (well the civilized parts) and I believe firmly that Boston is the best place in existence. Except, maybe Australia cause they have palm trees but they also have Tuna Casserole, so I still think its a loss.

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michael_scarn_21 t1_j5xqyqp wrote

Boston isn't even the best place in Eastern MA lol

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R_Morley t1_j5yq7ei wrote

You may believe that, as is your right in this great commonwealth, but for I, Boston is the most treasured place on earth. I shall sing it from the rooftops, as the great Eddie Murphy once did on his trip to America!

As I said however, I’ve only been to other civilized countries, so I’ve never been to France. I hear people like Paris but I am scared of baguettes (inferior to our Boston brown bread!)

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donkeyrocket t1_j5umjji wrote

Yeah it sounds like this is LEGO consolidating corporate offices and also a move to reduce the remote workforce. New Boston-based postings for the handful of positions I saw will be in-office three days a week.

Definitely sucks for folks in the CT area that worked there though. The cost of living change will be no joke and I really doubt they'll offer an ample relocation package if at all.

I'd wager this is also a means to tap into engineering/design pools for US-based product development. I think all of that is centralized in Denmark currently.

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werewolfmanjack t1_j5t0zp3 wrote

this is an incredibly disruptive thing to so many peoples lives. The Enfield office has a lot of families, homeowners - and they aren’t big on WFH even though a lot of their jobs are computer based and have zero reason to be in person. Lego is a pretty stingy operation (I’ve heard) when it comes to salary - and they are fine losing a ton of tenured talent and restaffing with more junior folks.

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LordConnecticut t1_j5vlacr wrote

That’s my thought, and I think that’s their plan. Lose long standing employees, pay some college grads pennies to live with 5 roommates.

Their location is barely in CT even, it’s more Springfield area then Hartford (if you can split the two), and I think this matters because Hartford is the higher paying market with the nicer suburbs (Federal GS adjustment is the same as Boston). So Lego’s people in Enfield are probably getting paid even less being closer to Springfield.

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Adorableviolet t1_j5q44ov wrote

I feel like this means more stabbing foot pain for me. haaa

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R_Morley t1_j5tmzsl wrote

A glorious day

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Hribunos t1_j5u9jfn wrote

If they want to start moving some design into the US (currently all the design/engineering is in Denmark, right?) it makes sense to open an office in a deep engineering talent pool. But I'm surprised they're closing Enfield, it seems like the lower COL there would be better for less specialized jobs like logistics.

I guess maybe they'll send warehouse logistics down to the factory in VA and move marketing/sales to Boston along with engineering? Our marketing/sales talent pool here is substantial as well, even though it gets less press than the technical staff.

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Mumbles76 t1_j5s1peg wrote

Until they see the price, just like GE....

0

THKMass t1_j5qaasv wrote

If they like the city some much why don't they just build their own. They can come here but I can't go into the Lego store at Assembly Row because I do not have a child?! Typical Big Building Block behavior. It's always about Wall Street, never Main Street

−11

TheDancingRobot t1_j5qzfft wrote

Folks in Western MA are probably rejoicing that LEGO didn't make the wise decision to put the headquarters in such an awesome area.

Nope, Boston congestion. Wow...poor decision.

−12

Quirky_Butterfly_946 t1_j5pl3hv wrote

And people wonder why no one can afford to live in Boston. Boston has the real potential to become the next silicon valley housing nighmare. It already has priced many out, now unless you make millions, you are not going to live in Boston and surrounding areas.

Why does Lego have to move to Boston and not another area of the state to abate the over development, dense congestion, and turning Boston into a city that no one recognizes any more.

So long Boston, it was nice knowing you.

−33

man2010 t1_j5px4t0 wrote

Sounds better than turning Boston into the next Detroit by stopping businesses like Lego from coming here.

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SphaeraEstVita t1_j5q6l11 wrote

I get that this sub is mostly just unhappy people complaining but another way of looking at it is that Boston is so great that people are willing to pay a heavy premium to live here.

EDIT: To be clear, I don't mean that you should be happy about things costing more just that it means the opposite of what you seem to think it means. People pay more to live in a desirable place.

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ThatGaelicName t1_j5qz9ww wrote

That’s how I always think of it! The way I see it, it’s expensive because it’s a place where a lot of people want to be. I feel like we get what we pay for :)

5

CommonNotCommons t1_j5pu6jc wrote

The problem is our elected and appointed officials not permitting enough new housing. LEGO moving here is a drop in the bucket. You should always want industry to move in.

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TightBoysenberry_ t1_j5pt6yv wrote

It already is.

the existing residents don't care. they want their houses to go up 15% year on year.

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amos106 t1_j5ppk7k wrote

Boston first belonged to the natives, then the puritans, then to the colonists, then the patriots, then the industrialists, and now it's changing hands to the corporate aristocrats. It's not fair but then again it never was. I look forward to more entitled posts on the sub about how bullshit this city is because it doesn't cater hard enough towards privilege.

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mrhjt t1_j5pus1o wrote

Just make more money, maybe Lego is hiring.

4