When Detroit-based Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. decided to expand their presence in Michigan, Grand Rapids fit their criteria: plenty of development activity in the city and an opportunity for growth.
Last year, after 91 years of consulting municipalities on development issues that include roads, traffic lights, and water and sewer infrastructure, HRC launched a new company logo and other initiatives to freshen up their image. They wanted an office space to match. The American Seating Park on Grand Rapids' West Side quickly emerged as an ideal location.
“We looked at a number of different locations and we considered several of them,” said HRC’s Chief Financial Officer Bruce McFarland. “But we felt like we wanted to do something different than our traditional office. We felt we were keeping the old building, but also creating a new look that fit our new image.”
The renovation of the 3,000-square-foot space included refinishing the original wood floor and retaining its character: footprints of the stamping machines that used to occupy the space and burn marks from the machine operators’ cigarette butts.
Ford & Earl Design Associates used the original brick walls and windows as a jumping off point for renovating the former factory into an open, inviting office space. They opened the ceilings to their full 12-foot height, exposed the overhead pipes and light fixtures, and added an interior curved wall for displaying projects and awards. A sliding glass door allows light to flow between the conference room and the rest of the workspace.
The expansion to Grand Rapids establishes the firm’s sixth office in Michigan. Four employees currently work out of the office, and there’s space to expand to ten.
McFarland says the firm plans to stick around. It’s a pattern they’ve established.
“We started in Detroit in 1915. We’ve been in our current offices there for 50 years,” he said, “and our Bloomfield Hills offices since 1970. There’s a lot of activity going on in Grand Rapids, a lot of new construction, and we’d like to be a part of it.”
Source: Bruce McFarland, Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.; Chris Beckering, Grubb & Ellis Paramount Commerce
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.