Grand Rapids Chamber plans office move

Grand Rapids Chamber plans office move
Rendering of the redesign project for the Calder Plaza Building at 250 Monroe Ave. in Grand Rapids.

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce plans to upgrade its offices in the first quarter of next year.

The organization announced today that it will vacate its approximately 10,000-square-foot space in the Waters Building for about 11,000 square feet at 250 Monroe Ave. NW, another downtown Grand Rapids office building that’s recently undergone significant renovation work.

The Chamber says that its new space — which it will begin occupying on March 1, 2018 — will include 8,000 square feet of space for services dedicated to its more than 2,500 members, including educational and social space and meeting rooms.

“We are thrilled to be able to transition into office space that will bring real value to our business community,” Rick Baker, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Chamber, said in a statement. “Through intentional design, we will provide our members with space to collaborate, connect and grow their business. By using the modern work environment we will reduce the footprint required for staff work and reallocate the space for member programming and services.”

About $300,000 of the $1.1 million construction buildout will be performed by women and minority-owned businesses, the Chamber said in a statement.

The 10-story, 160,000-square-foot building at 250 Monroe Ave. is owned by a subsidiary of CWD Real Estate Investment Inc., a Grand Rapids-based real estate firm run by Sam Cummings, Scott Wierda and Dan DeVos.

The group acquired the building in December 2014 for an undisclosed amount, and since then has put on a new facade and invested in significant interior work.

Bank of America serves as the building’s main tenant with 40,000 square feet, as MiBiz has previously reported.