Stelter Partners building on Ionia up for sale

[GRDadof3]

Anyone know what the story is? Stelter Partners (Ex-Steelcase exec who opened his own school furniture company) has apparently been doing well, and I just saw this article recently:

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/business/inde...ks_up_with.html

But I see on carwm that their building is for sale. Anyone know the story? Moving into bigger digs somewhere? I hear the building they redid is very cool on the inside (Just South of Wealthy on the West side of the street).

http://www.carwm.com/propertySearch.php

(#730706)

[joeDowntown]

I drove by it the other day and it looks like a pretty cool building from the outside too. Not the best location (off the beaten path) but it made me want to see more.

Joe

Anyone know what the story is? Stelter Partners (Ex-Steelcase exec who opened his own school furniture company) has apparently been doing well, and I just saw this article recently:

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/business/inde...ks_up_with.html

But I see on carwm that their building is for sale. Anyone know the story? Moving into bigger digs somewhere? I hear the building they redid is very cool on the inside (Just South of Wealthy on the West side of the street).

http://www.carwm.com/propertySearch.php

(#730706)

[Veloise]

It is really cool inside. Not in the Union Square rehabbed cool, but in the sense of a very friendly and pleasant place to work.

Huge open floor plan, cube row. Everyone gets natural light from the front windows. There's a conference area in the corner with lounge chairs, a fireplace, and sound system (I am not making this up!) and it's available for employee breaks. Huge open-plan kitchen, ditto.

Every desk or work area has toys on it. I am not kidding. I've never seen a work environment with so many playthings: koosh balls to throw at colleagues, those magnetized bits that can be sculpted into different forms, wacky calendars. In the reception area was a small plot of grass growing in a flat bed (about 12" square).

In the warehouse is a humongous ceiling fan from the "Big Ass Fan Co" and there's a picture of Jim Stelter's face on it. (He's proud of that.)

I was there to do a square dance gig (called the "Ho Ho Hoe Down") and met a few employees. They have liberal hiring practices, with unconventionally-abled and unusual backgrounds in the HR files. (Don't want to violate anyone's privacy.) Impressive.

If they needed a project manager or creative problem-solver or city planner or street musician or dance caller or desktop publisher, I would be there in one minute.

[AlexPKeaton]

I might know something about this.

At one point Stelter Partners was planning to move to a building on the west side, I think on Butterworth or Wealthy. That didn't pan out. It's possible that deal has been revived, but I'm not sure. Apparently when they moved into their current space it was because someone gave them a good offer for their old space, so the building may just be for sale to see what kind of offers they can get. I do know they're growing and likely will need more space.

And, Veloise, I'm not so sure I'd want to work there from what I've heard. It might look like a cool place to work, but I'm not sure sure it is such a cool place to work.

[GRDadof3]

I might know something about this.

At one point Stelter Partners was planning to move to a building on the west side, I think on Butterworth or Wealthy. That didn't pan out. It's possible that deal has been revived, but I'm not sure. Apparently when they moved into their current space it was because someone gave them a good offer for their old space, so the building may just be for sale to see what kind of offers they can get. I do know they're growing and likely will need more space.

And, Veloise, I'm not so sure I'd want to work there from what I've heard. It might look like a cool place to work, but I'm not sure sure it is such a cool place to work.

[Veloise]

For one of my careers (IT-related), the training session leader brought this up: we spend more time at a workplace than we do with our selected loved ones and families; the workday may as well be enjoyable.

I'd rather be at a fun, happy workplace than "the other kind."

HTH

[AlexPKeaton]

I'd rather be at a fun, happy workplace than "the other kind."

[fotoman311]

Right, but what makes a happy workplace? Do toys make up for Dilbert-esque management?

[Veloise]

Right, but what makes a happy workplace? Do toys make up for Dilbert-esque management?