By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Alexander Marketing is about to relocate from its traditional offices on Crahen Avenue near Forest Hills to an innovative urban location that promotes the company’s new focus on collaborative creativity. By the end of this month, the firm’s 30 employees will be in their new digs at Grand Rapids’ Clark Place, part of American Seating Park at 801 Broadway Ave. NW.
The nerve center of the 10,000-square-foot space is the Ideation Center, a two-walled conference area that will accomodate up to 30. Each end of the room is open to allow daylight into the space, to encourage participation from other areas of the office, and to promote a casual atmosphere.
One of the walls, a glass curtain wall, faces giant factory windows that provide a third-floor view of downtown. That wall doubles as a writing surface for projects that need more than an adjacent white board/projection wall provides.
“The two ends have curtains we can close to contain any excitement that might be generated,” says Bob Northway, managing director. “I suspect clients will gravitate to this area because it will have a casual seating and a fun atmosphere.”
Three-foot-diameter concrete pillars punctuate the space, a former furniture factory. Workstations in pods of threes surround the Ideation Center, and hardwood pathways guide visitors and employees to different areas within the space.
“I think it’s going to be a transition,” Northway says. “We’re now in a building where every employee has their own door and own office. Everyone seems to be very enthused as they’re packing up their things to move.”
Via Design designed the space. The build-out was handled by Pioneer Construction. Scott Morgan and Chris Beckering of Grubb & Ellis Paramount Commerce brokered the transaction.
Source: Bob Northway, Alexander Marketing
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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