For employees of Morton Brown Family Wealth, coming to the office in downtown Allentown is more than just a day of sitting at a desk.
The suite occupied by the financial advisory firm in Tower 6 features natural light with views of South Mountain, and casual seating, such as couches, instead of traditional, sterile corporate furniture, creating a welcoming environment for both staff and clients.
To counter the common trend of light Friday office attendance, the firm hosts company-provided group lunches, turning the conference table into a dining area and supporting downtown restaurants.
The conference room at NKBA headquarters in Bethlehem. (Courtesy of NKBA)
Morton Brown Family Wealth’s office Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices.(April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Morton Brown Family Wealth co-founders Dennis Morton and Katie Brown talk Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in an executive room in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices.(April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A wellness room in Morton Brown Family Wealth’s office Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices.(April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Morton Brown Family Wealth co-founders Dennis Morton and Katie Brown talk Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in their office in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices.(April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Morton Brown Family Wealth co-founders Dennis Morton and Katie Brown talk their conference room Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in their office in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A meeting area in Morton Brown Family Wealth’s office Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices.(April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Morton Brown Family Wealth co-founders Dennis Morton and Katie Brown talk their conference room Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in their office in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Morton Brown Family Wealth co-founders Dennis Morton and Katie Brown on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in their office in Tower 6 in Allentown. Local employers and building owners are trying different methods to attract employees to work in company offices.(April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
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The conference room at NKBA headquarters in Bethlehem. (Courtesy of NKBA)
Morton Brown isn’t unique in offering perks to get its employees back to the office in the age of hybrid work. Commercial real estate company CBRE recently released its Americas Office Occupier Sentiment Survey. It found that a growing number of businesses are focusing on employee experience, including quality of workplace and location.
“When we talk about creating a place where people want to come,” firm co-founder Dennis Morton said, “we want you feeling like you’re part of a place, and that’s where when we see the option of a sterile environment that maybe feels corporate — having natural beauty around you, experiences to be had just walking out the front door.
“It just gets us used to being in places together and making those places feel like part of our culture,” he said.
Experience is the key
The CBRE report found that 62% of tenants say enhancing employee experience is a key workplace objective, and nearly half are considering relocation strategies to support that goal. That “flight to quality” means they are abandoning outdated offices to rent high-end spaces with amenities such as gyms and group areas as well as walkability to mass transit or restaurants.
That makes downtown locations especially attractive, and a majority of businesses are seriously looking at moving there, CBRE found. Almost 8 in 10 said it was important to improve employees’ experience, compared with 59% that indicated a move would be for more generous lease terms.
“Commuting and convenience considerations are site-selection prerequisites,” CBRE wrote. “Sustainable building operating and building amenity spaces are table stakes, resulting in rent discounts when absent. Fitness facilities and outdoor amenities command the strongest premium over market rates.”
CBRE’s latest quarterly report on the Philadelphia office market — which includes the Lehigh Valley — revealed four consecutive quarters of positive absorption, meaning that more space is being rented than vacated.
CBRE found that 38% of companies expect to expand their office footprint over the next three years, compared with 34% planning contractions.
The Lehigh Valley itself has seen a slight decrease in its vacancy rate between the first and second quarters, dropping nearly half a percentage point to 19.4% according to CBRE figures.
Coming to the office
Morton said its 10 employees are mostly in the office because of the camaraderie.
Last year, Morton Brown upgraded to 5,600 square feet from 3,500 square feet, remaining in the 12-story office building at 600 Hamilton St. Since 2018, assets have grown from $100 million to $600 million.
“We went from just two of us sitting across the table to having a team of 10 with room for probably 20,” Morton said. “We want to make sure that our clients know and our team knows that we are building out capacity to serve before we need it.”
While Morton Brown simply expanded in Tower 6, other area firms have been looking for similar improvements and are willing to change locations to find them.
Taking advantage of downtown Bethlehem’s amenities was one reason the National Kitchen & Bath Association moved its headquarters in 2022 to the Lehigh Valley from New Jersey, where the previous building was spacious, but isolated.
Bill Dancy, global president and CEO of NKBA, said moving the trade organization’s headquarters was driven by the city’s energy, walkability, proximity to Moravian and Lehigh universities for internships, and local landmarks such as the Hotel Bethlehem for hosting visitors.
“I think Bethlehem has been a vibrant city,” Dancy said of the office on West Broad Street. “The walkability of its downtown was very appealing for the building that we selected because I wanted the team to want to come to the office.”
The office features an open-concept hybrid layout with glass conference rooms and flexible workspaces. Out of 53 employees scattered across 10 states, about 10-20 work in the office on peak days, with six or seven in every day. Everyone is required to be in about six or seven times a year for meetings.
“I love when people want to come and be in person,” Dancy said.
Filling up office space
Maggie Reilly, director of asset management for City Center Group, said its Class A portfolio in downtown Allentown is about 100% occupied, with about 75% office utilization. Most tenants are seeing employees come in to work about three or four times a week, though many are back at five days.
The city’s largest downtown developer said tenant retention is high, showing that employers are making intentional, long-term commitments to physical space rather than just filling older lease obligations.
“Overwhelmingly, we are seeing people renew,” Reilly said. “I think what that tells us is that it’s not just a matter of employers feeling like they have space, it’s how they use it. They’re making the conscious decision to re-lease the space and use it in the way that they think works best for their business.”
“What we’re seeing is very much in line with that CBRE report. … Companies do think it’s really important for their employees to see each other, for leadership to see their employees face to face and build relationships.”
Morton said seeing familiar faces brings happiness to the workplace.
“We still allow for kind of a hybrid work from home as people need it, but most people are in the office most days of the week,” he said. “Initially it was helpful to build up knowledge and build the conversation around our work, but now it’s the joy of just seeing each other every day.”
Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.