New Chase Bays Headquarters - 2018

From the desk of Chase McMaster  |  September 27th, 2018

Starting in January 2018 we started the process of trying to find a new headquarters for Chase Bays. We'd grown out of the location we'd been renting since July 2015 and our property management was quite terrible. We've been in business for 12 years with no sign of stopping so it was time to own the building we worked out of.

We wanted to be downtown Birmingham because its an amazing area. Great buildings, great food, and great vibes. The issue was property value. It's skyrocketed in the last few years. Our old spot was a little under 7,000 sq ft with about 6,000 usable. From July 15' to July 18' we grew 210% so we wanted at least 14,000 sq ft for the growth we expect to see. I probably looked at 6 or 7 buildings and nothing really felt right. Our agent, Robert Crook of IronVest Partners, emailed a "hail mary" spot that had just popped up. 19,000 sq ft, 2 stories, and in an area we were happy with.

We looked at the property and a shirt printing business was operating out of 10% of the space. The rest of the building was old wall after old wall, damaged ceilings, unfinished work, etc. To people who can't see potential, it was condemned looking.