GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids Chamber hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the expansion of its office.

The downtown office on Monroe Avenue across from the DeVos Place now offers things like a recording studio, a work café and meeting rooms of various sizes. The new expansion adds around 5,000 square feet of space, with nine more meeting rooms and space for Chamber staff.

It’s equipped to host events for up to around 125 people.

The Grand Rapids Chamber held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
The Grand Rapids Chamber held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
The Grand Rapids Chamber held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
The Grand Rapids Chamber held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its office expansion. (July 26, 2023)

The Chamber first moved into the office around five years ago, “with the vision of creating an office where our members can call it home,” said Omar Cuevas, the vice president of investor and corporate relations.

“We got to a point where we ran out of space,” he added.

  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    A phone booth inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (July 26, 2023)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Chamber)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Chamber)
  • Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Chamber)
    Inside the Grand Rapids Chamber office expansion. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Chamber)

“We wanted to make sure that our office space was something that would be a benefit to our members,” Grand Rapids Chamber President and CEO Rick Baker said. “When we designed the space, we designed it with a lot of input from our membership.”

Members of the Chamber can use the space like a second office, to hold meetings or as a space to set up in between engagements.

“Our house is their house,” Cuevas said.

Baker said he wants the office to be active with lots of people and to be the “epicenter of where business happens here in West Michigan.”

“All of this is possible just through the support of our business community. We have a very dynamic, very vibrant business community here in Grand Rapids and we really wanted our space to reflect the sophistication of that business community that we represent,” he said.