Glenn Pace said the 104 Trade Street Business Center was one design he couldn’t quite visualize at the outset. Pace, Planning and Zoning Coordinator for the City of Greer, gets dozens of plans to review before passing them along to City Council.
“I had a hard time to grasp the initial concept,” Pace said. “After a while I could look at our downtown buildings and thought ‘this can fit.’”
The concept Pace was referring was a contemporary business center renovated from a long-time vacant historic building in the middle of the Greer central business district.
Russ Braasch, owner of the 104 Business Center, held a day long grand opening celebration introducing the business community and the public to the first LEED certified building in the central business district. “This type of building has come on the market since the economy has gone down,” Braasch said. “Our economy has led to more entrepreneurial businesses and this gives them an opportunity to have a professional location to work and host clients without leasing a building.”
LEED certification, Braasch said, incorporates recycled construction materials and waste on a points basis. The business center received points for its energy efficient property, recycled wastewater, debris, paper and more efficient HVAC and lighting. The floors are recycled wood.
Bob Brissie, of the leasing agency Spectrum Commercial Properties, said the market is ripe for these types of business centers. “It’s an incubator for professionals,” Brissie said. “You can lease an office and be open for business the same day.” An office, conference rooms, a break room, reception area and an open bullpen area is featured. The 10,000 square foot business center has the second floor, 5,000 square feet available for a single larger tenant or it can be built out into multi office spaces.
An ala carte menu of features include phone messages, mail service, receptionist, video conferencing room, high bandwidth Wi-Fi, leasing of conference rooms, dry cleaning and other services. It’s an incubator for office and professions.
Four tenants have located downstairs, three offices of different square footage is available and a 3,000-square foot office space is available upstairs.
Sam Danner of the Greer Economic Development Corporation (GDC) said it’s another benchmark for Greer businesses. “This is a big selling point to see where this site was and to see this building now,” Danner said. “It shows what can be done in downtown Greer with its buildings. It’s important for Greer to have this type of business office available.”
Pace said the main result means more business tenants and office space bringing more people downtown to eat and shop.
Langley and Associates of Greer were the architects. Lee Dumas, city councilman (District 4) asked David Langley how something this extraordinary takes shape. “Russ came forward with ideas and we built on them,” Langley said. “He wanted to keep the exposed brick so we took the boards and paper off the wall to show the brick. The air dropping from the roof helps cool the building better. Russ would come up with an idea and we offered ours.”
One idea was the curved walk-through from the front to the back of the building. “You don’t want people to see the end of the path to the back so you do things with design,” Langley said.
“Just look around,” Reno Deaton, President of the GDC said. “It’s an amazing building they are offering in downtown. They took an old building and made it a premier office space.”
For leasing information call Rob Brissie, at 864-335-3030 (office) or 414-2426 (cell).