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WHITE PAPERS AND ARTICLES
HIGH-TECH GOES HIGH CLASS
Article appeared in MiBiz West on May 6, 2002
Written by Tim Gwozdz, MiBiz Network
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| Structure Interactive's Brett Chaffer, Charles McGrath and Michael Brown pause for a moment as work continues on the company's new headquarters. | |
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The interactive communications firm is relocating to the second floor of historic McKay Tower in a premier location that originally served as a bank. At just over 10,000 square feet, the opulent space has vaulted ceilings that bridge two floors and is adorned with touches of rich wood trim and marble accents and columns. Large windows bring in an abundance of natural light.
S:I Director of Creative Services Charles McGrath told MiBiz it’s not the typical setting for a company that provides Web-based and interactive communications services.
"You have 26-foot marble pillars. That says ‘stodgy.’ It says ‘commerce.’ It feels like we should be wearing homburgs to work and carrying rolled umbrellas," McGrath said. "We thought it was great that we could take that kind of space and give it new life and a new personality and maybe absorb some of that (old style) ourselves."
McGrath admitted that McKay Tower wasn’t even under consideration when the decision was first made to move S:I’s operations.
Instead suburban locations and renovated loft space was being considered.
After visiting the McKay Tower management office, the S:I principals stopped at the second-floor location and were turned on by the prospects relocating there.
"We have a 30-year history, but in our business the perception is every company is a brand new, wet-behind-the-ears operation.
So, there’s a nice synergy here. We’re giving the space an injection of personality and energy that it wouldn’t have otherwise. From it we’re getting a certain air of respectability and permanence that our kind of business often doesn’t have," said McGrath.
The current S:I office on East Beltline Lane NE is functional, but leaves no room for employees of the growing company to work effectively. The location was ideal when the firm settled there with 34 people.
But S:I will have a 42 when it opens for business in McKay Tower on May 13, and that number will likely increase in the near future.
Michael Brown, S:I’s director of account services, said the East Beltline Lane location "didn’t do justice to who we are and what we’re all about." It was Brown who first envisioned S:I in the new location, and convinced his co-owners McGrath and Brett Chaffer, S:I director of technical services, to share his vision.
"It was unlike anything we had seen," Brown said. "I look at things as culture drivers, and I’m convinced that this space will be the foundation for who we are over the next 10 years. Being in account services, I also see it as an incredible sales tool." The location has already been a factor in S:I’s ability to attract and retain employees, according to Chaffer. Drawings and 3-D renderings of the McKay Tower facility have been displayed on a board near a conference room at S:I’s suburban location.
The spot became a regular stop for prospective employees who toured the S:I operation.
Some potential candidates have even toured the McKay Tower location.
Tom Dowling of Design Pinnacle did the engineering drawings for the renovation, but True North Architecture President Dan Henrickson conceived the initial architectural concept for the space. S:I retained many of the ideas found in the conceptual drawings. Changes occurred when the renovation crew uncovered little "surprises." Among them — an inlaid herringbone wood floor covered by carpeting and an ornate marble archway hidden behind drywall.
Amidst the conservative mahogany trim and marble accents, S:I will populate its space with over 400 pieces of furniture created by Grand Rapids-based izzydesign.
Chaffer described the teaming of S:I and izzydesign as "serendipity." Chaffer recalled that he and his partners were drawn to the fledging office furniture firm by an article they read about the company.
"The description of their target market was a perfect description of us," Chaffer said.
With that in mind S:I approached izzydesign President Chuck Saylor about the project and a working relationship gelled. "We loved their personality and their team," Chaffer said. "They were great to work with." Lee Davis of Lake Affect Design Studio oversaw much of the interior design. She said work environment created by the izzydesign/S:I collaboration works in the former bank space.
"There is a big contrast between the architecture of the space and the izzydesign furniture, but it works because they are at opposite ends of the spectrum." As owners of S:I, McGrath, Brown and Chaffer are thrilled about the move to McKay Tower and the unique space their firm will occupy.
"We believe in what’s happening in downtown Grand Rapids and we’re investing in it," Brown said.
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