By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the upcoming construction of their new building with a ceremonial groundbreaking on August 1, 2007. The Chamber’s $900,000 offices will be part of a 20,000-square-foot office and retail center at the corner of Third and Western in downtown Muskegon.
“We’re out of space,” says President Cindy Larsen. “We discussed leasing space downtown, but we realized that because we’ll be here for the long term it was in our best interests to invest.”
The offices will occupy 7,000 square feet on the second floor of the 2-story facility. Muskegon Area First, SCORE, the Employers Association of West Michigan, and several other civic organizations will share the office space, as well.
“Whether you’re a business start-up still in the planning stages, a business looking to expand, or you want to locate in Muskegon, all of those services will be available to you under one roof,” Larsen says.
Plans include a large room for small business training, four conference rooms, four private offices, 16 cubicles, a reception area, and a kitchen. A staff workroom will provide space for six people to interact in a casual atmosphere, whether for meetings or for collaboration between the different organizations.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria, bike racks, and parking spaces with power outlets for electric cars are some of the green design options.
The building is a joint effort of Capstone Real Estate, Buck Construction Company, and Hooker DeJong Architects and Engineers. About 3,000-square-feet of commercial condo space is still available on the second floor. The 10,000-square-foot main floor offers space for future retail shops and restaurants.
Source: Cindy Larsen, Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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