WADE TRIM OPENS NEW OFFICES IN DOWNTOWN FLINT

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce photos

Flint Mayor Don Williamson addresses the crowd at the new Wade Trim building. (In Background) Tim Herman, CEO of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Phil Shaltz, an Uptown Six Partner.

(TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008, FLINT, MI) The Wade Trim Building, a multi-use facility located at the corner of Saginaw and Second Streets in downtown Flint, opened its doors today for a public tour and the official start of business. The event began at 10:00 a.m. with a news event in front of the building.
The building will be the home of Wade Trim, a multi-discipline civil engineering firm, which will occupy the second floor. WNEM TV 5, a CBS affiliate will have studio and office space on the main floor. There are four retail spaces on the ground floor, including Soyla’s Mexican Restaurant which is scheduled to open in the near future. It also includes four loft apartments on the third floor, three of which are leased.

Wade Trim’s Flint office, which employs 25 professionals and support staff, has provided professional engineering services to communities in the Genesee County area for more than 20 years. WNEM moved their offices from Taylor Rd. to downtown and will have a satellite studio in the facility.

“This is a great day for Wade Trim and the Flint community,” said Jason Kenyon, Wade Trim Vice President. We have state-of-art facilities and a fantastic location from which to serve our clients, and the community has a beautiful new building in the heart of the city.”

The building is 36,000 square feet with a total project cost of $5.2 million. The property was awarded the Renaissance Zone exemption which excludes companies from personal and property tax and the Michigan business tax. Residents are exempted from state and local income tax.

“Our move to downtown will give a whole new personality to our station,” said Al Blinke, General Manager for WNEM TV 5. “We will be doing some new, exciting things from the streets of downtown Flint that we believe will be enjoyed by our entire viewing area.”

The design and construction team for the project included local companies: THA Architecture and Engineering, Siwek Construction, and Wade Trim Engineering. Project funding sources include Baker College of Flint, the C.S. Mott Foundation and Uptown Developments. The building is bordered by a new pedestrian plaza funded by the Ruth Mott Foundation and a $60,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Flint.
This is another good news story for the City of Flint and Genesee County,” said Tim Herman, CEO at the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We know that a healthy, vibrant downtown community is essential to the well-being of the entire county. This project took many partners to make it work. We celebrate it as another example of Partners for Progress programs. The private and public sectors are working with our great foundations and civic clubs to build a stronger community.”

Wade Trim (www.wadetrim.com) is a professional services consultant that serves the infrastructure and related needs of government and corporations. Disciplines include civil engineering, surveying, planning, operations, landscape architecture and environmental science. Wade Trim has over 450 staff in 22 offices located in eight states.

For further information contact:

Ridgway White
810-238-8668