Locally-owned financial planning firm opens in renovated East Hills storefront

After opening up a fully renovated new office location at 922 Wealthy St. SE in December, Sytsma Wealth Strategies' Tamara Sytsma says she's excited to finally be a part of the East Hills neighborhood renaissance. 

"It's an up-and-coming neighborhood with a lot of activity and I wanted to be a part of the revitalization of the neighborhood," says Sytsma, who has lived on the southeast side of Grand Rapids with her husband and two young children since 2004. 

The financial planning and investment advisory firm marks Sytsma's departure from The Sytsma Group, which has operated from its Grandville offices for the past 26 years under her father Ronald until her brother Thomas purchased the business in 2009. 

Although Sytsma Wealth Strategies is a branch office under the Tampa-based broker Raymond James, it operates as an independent firm, which means all of its clients and profits stay local. 

Sytsma did a complete build-out and renovation to create separate rooms in the 1,200-square-foot storefront and former nail salon prior to Sytsma Wealth Strategies' Dec. 29 re-opening. 

"The space used to be one big, open box, so we had to build off of that and the interior is completely new," Sytsma says, adding that she liked the benefit of having a welcoming window front of her own versus just another suite in a big office building. "We wanted to be part of a neighborhood, so I didn't want it to feel like an office." 

While moving close to her home allows Sytsma to maintain a better work-life balance, Sytsma's other primary motivation for the move is a much less obvious one. 

"Probably one of the biggest reasons was having more female business owners in the area," says Sytsma, who grew into the family business as a CFP/financial strategist alongside her father and brother in a male-dominated industry. "I know several females in the area that are business owners, so from that perspective, being here offered a good support system that I wanted to be around."

So, as Sytsma Wealth Strategies is welcomed into its new home in the East Hills business community, Sytsma says she hopes her bright, open storefront welcomes the community into her firm, too.

"The best way to describe it is welcoming, because we want it to be a place where people feel comfortable coming in and sharing and hanging out," she says. 

Sytsma Wealth Strategies is currently looking to hire for a new full-time position in marketing and client relations. Interested applicants can contact the firm's client service coordinator, Christine Lindeman, at [email protected] or visit Sytsma Wealth Strategies online for more information. 

Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Sytsma Wealth Strategies