By: Deborah Johnson Wood
When Craig Clark started his public relations firm, Clark Communications, three years ago his plan was to move from a home-based office in Rockford to a downtown Grand Rapids location by mid-2008. Last month, he opened his new office in the Williams Arena Station building at 25 Ottawa SW some eight months ahead of schedule.
Clark shares 1,500 square feet with Mark Bird of Bird Design, a firm Clark often collaborates with on client projects.
"There's just something to be said about being in the central business district," Clark says. "There's a heartbeat here, an opportunity to meet with other professionals and an opportunity to be involved with business associations I didn't have before. Was I less accessible in Rockford? No. Am I perceived as being more accessible based out of downtown Grand Rapids? Yes."
Clark says easy access to the expressway is key to quick commutes to clients in Kentwood and Wyoming, and, because the office gets pedestrian traffic via the downtown skywalk, the firm's brand is getting recognition.
While the new office hasn't required much renovation, he and Bird are giving the place a personality and feel that Clark hopes will set them apart from others in the industry.
"It's becoming more and more unobtainable to become a brick and mortar agency like many existing agencies in the downtown area," Clark adds.
"We collaborate with so many others we're able to put together full service teams with senior level professionals who have left their corporate jobs and are now available for collaboration. It's a sign of the new economy—you have to find new ways of doing business."
Source: Craig Clark, Clark Communications
Photograph courtesy of Clark Communications
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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