Immersive Media moves headquarters to Washougal

Immersive Media, a pioneer in producing the 360-degree, full-motion videos that are used by Google for its Street View service, is moving its U.S. headquarters from Vancouver to Washougal.

The company will lease about 2,500 square feet in the Washougal Town Square development beginning next month, said Adam Taylor, leasing agent for Lone Wolf Investments, owner of Washougal Town Square. Immersive now has six local employees and expects to add four more by the end of the year, said Tom McGovern, the company’s vice president. Employees will work in engineering, research and development, and worldwide sales and marketing.

Immersive Media, owned by a Canadian holding company, originally based its U.S. operations in Portland and, after a change in owners, moved to Vancouver in 2013. McGovern said the company feels the Washougal Town Square space has a “cutting-edge” atmosphere that is conducive to the creative tasks of its employees.

McGovern, a Vancouver resident, added that the company was drawn to Washougal’s “small downtown feel.” Although creative services firms tend to concentrate in urban areas of Portland and Vancouver, McGovern said his ambition is to grow the company large enough to be a magnet for drawing other technology companies to Washougal.

Washougal Town Center, which opened in 2008, just as the recession eroded demand for office and commercial space, is about 50 percent occupied, Taylor said. The development, which dominates Washougal’s downtown, contains about 25,000 square feet of office space and 22,000 square feet of retail space, he said. It continues to add tenants as the economy improves, he said.

“We do feel we’ve got momentum behind us now,” Taylor said.