Accounting Firm Buys Downtown Grand Rapids Office Building

March 22, 2011 - PRLog -- GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – Beene Garter, West Michigan’s largest locally-owned CPA and business consulting firm, has purchased a large downtown Grand Rapids building and intends to relocate its firm there by this spring.  The building, now known as 56 Grandville but will eventually be called the Beene Garter Building, complete with exterior signage, fronts Grandville Avenue and is housed between Bistro Bella Vita and Grand Rapids Community Foundation in downtown Grand Rapids.

“We consider this move to be an investment in downtown Grand Rapids,” says Beene Garter managing partner Tom Rosenbach. “It is our goal to continually evolve to support our clients and the community that we live and work in and 56 Grandville is the ideal location to support this.”

The 61,000 SF, 5-floor building has housed a number of companies over the years including US Exchange.  Beene Garter intends to use the lower level, first and second floors and over 25,000 SF of space for its 75-person firm.  The firm will lease the remaining space to Advantage Sales and Marketing, a leading sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry.

“We are very fortunate to have Advantage Sales and Marketing as our tenant. They have made a substantial commitment to downtown Grand Rapids as well. They are a very well run, first class organization,” says Rosenbach.

The two firms have a unique arrangement whereby they will share conference room space on the first floor and a café on the lower level. This will allow both organizations to better utilize their space and allow for future expansion.  

The partnership of Beene Garter decided last fall to pursue new space instead of reshuffling staff at its home of 25 years at 50 Monroe in downtown (commonly known as the Huntington Building).  The firm maintained 26,000 SF of space on the entire sixth floor of the building.  

“50 Monroe has been a wonderful address and home to our firm and we thank the ownership for helping us grow,” Rosenbach notes. “It was just time to expand into new space that allows us to have more public exposure.”

Terms of the sale and renovation are undisclosed. The firm intends on beginning to move office staff to the new location by the middle of May. A formal grand opening celebration will be held sometime in the fall.  Beene Garter’s contractor and vendor clients agreed to work together to renovate the lower level, first and second floors to Beene Garter’s specifications. Exterior renovations are also taking place, mainly in the form of new windows, awnings and fixtures.

Beene Garter intends on maintaining the historical warehouse setting in its new offices while designing the space to accommodate the collaborative nature in which its consultants serve clients.

“Our office space has been designed with our team approach to superior client service in mind and the location we have chosen is part of our long-term commitment to the area,” says Rosenbach.

About Beene Garter (http://www.beenegarter.com)
Beene Garter is West Michigan's largest independently owned accounting and consulting firm. Founded in Grand Rapids in 1949, the firm’s staff includes 16 partners and over 60 employees. Beene Garter serves West Michigan businesses and organizations that are based in the region, which ensures clients exceptional personal service.

The firm provides a range of audit, tax, business advisory and business support services. Wealth management services are offered through their subsidiary, BG Investment Advisory Services, Inc. Their advisors specialize in particular industries, which allows clients to work with specialists who understand their unique business environment and needs.

Beene Garter is an active member of Moore Stephens International Limited, an association of over 350 leading independent accounting and consulting firms with more than 630 offices in 98 countries.


About Advantage Sales & Marketing (http://www.asmnet.com)
Founded in 1987, Advantage Sales & Marketing LLC (ASM) is North America’s premier sales and marketing agency, committed to building brand value for its more than 1,200 clients.

ASM’s cradle-to-cart – post-manufacture to consumption – customized sales and marketing solutions include headquarter sales, retail merchandising and marketing services, specializing in client and customer events, publications and assisted-selling services for the grocery, drugstore, club, convenience, natural/specialty, consumer electronic and home center industries.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, ASM has more than 30,000 associates and 66 offices in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit http://www.asmnet.com or call 949-797-3105.