Marketing firm purchases west side GR office as in-person work returns
Posted By: MiBiz on August 8, 2022. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Marketing agency 1 Bold Step LLC has purchased a small office building on Grand Rapids’ west side as company executives gradually return to more in-person work.
The Grand Rapids-based marketing firm purchased the building at 1255 Front Ave. NW for $575,000 on June 29 from CK & Co Media Production, doing business as Chrysanthe LLC, according to property records. 1 Bold Step plans to move into the space this fall.
Several companies are collaborating on renovation work at the nearly 3,700-square-foot building, including Architektura PLC, CS Erikson, Bouma Construction and Vos Glass. 1 Bold Statement is investing around $150,000 in renovations, CEO Jennifer Jurgens told MiBiz.
“We were very interested in the northwest side (of Grand Rapids) because it is an up-and-coming neighborhood and we looked at numerous locations,” said Jurgens, noting a six- to nine-month property search. “It took a village (to acquire the building) and I don’t think I can understate the help from Consumers Credit Union helping us navigate the loan process and the city of Grand Rapids.”
1 Bold Step secured funding through the city of Grand Rapids’ brownfield redevelopment grant program to help cover environmental remediation costs associated with renovations. The company also secured a loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The office will house 1 Bold Step’s 12 employees and will include three conference rooms, an open kitchen, a “family room,” and shared working space.
The marketing firm was formerly located at 408 Broadway Ave. NW until January 2022, when its office space was leased out to another company. 1 Bold Step is currently operating remotely.
“We all love the flexibility of being remote but genuinely miss each other and the in-person interactions,” co-owner and President Adam Clarke said in a statement. “The space will provide quiet places, small group places and large meeting places to accommodate the different ways in which a marketing team needs to work. We’re looking forward to welcoming our clients and colleagues into the space.”
The relocation aims to “bridge the gap” between a fully remote model and the “old office” model, Jurgens said.
“What we’re doing with this building is less of a traditional office and more of a sense of place,” Jurgens said. “We’re setting a few days a week for people to come in and gather.”
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