Better Business Bureau of Akron President and CEO Shannon Siegferth said when it came time to find a different office, she and her team looked at somewhere between 20 and 25 Akron sites before they finally decided on their new digs.
The nonprofit team landed on Suite 302 of the AES Building at 388 S. Main St. in Akron, where there's currently a large opening between their roughly 2,400-square-foot unit and the seven-story building's atrium. Once a special-ordered glass door arrives and is installed toward the end of August, Siegferth said natural light will continue to shine into the space from the atrium.
"When people come into the office, not only do you want a clean, well-lit, inviting space, but you want to feel like you're among the team," Siegferth said. "So we did a lot of that with the glass in mind, making sure that people could see in there and really understand, 'OK, my team is in there, so and so's here. They don't look too busy. I'll pop in.'"
The BBB Akron team decided to move from their longtime location at 222 W. Market St. in Akron to downsize. Siegferth said the roughly 6,500-square-foot West Market Street building, purchased in 1986, made sense for the organization at the time but that its 14-member, now-hybrid workforce doesn't need the space anymore.
"As a nonprofit, we always try to be extremely mindful of where that funding is being applied," she said.
Another nonprofit, the BBB-accredited Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, donated furniture, including a marble buffet, to BBB Akron for the space, Siegferth said.
She said BBB Akron is also working with BBB-accredited businesses — LAAD Sign & Lighting AtNetPlus and Artists Incorporated — to dress up the suite. Artists Incorporated is creating a 20-foot-long, 9-foot-tall piece of artwork highlighting the history of the BBB.
Siegferth also noted that multiple reputable businesses and organizations operate in the AES Building. BBB Akron already collaborates with some of them, such as Greater Akron Chamber, which is on the second floor, and Vantage Aging, located on the third floor. The Beacon Journal's offices are on the seventh floor.
The BBB Akron team has only been using the top floor of the 222 W. Market St. building, aside from using a kitchenette and restrooms downstairs.
"When things happen and you need to replace the roof or the plumbing and all of those, money is poured into there that could be allocated elsewhere," Siegferth said.
In early July, BBB Akron sold the West Market Street building to ACCESS Inc. for $450,000, according to Summit County Fiscal Office records and confirmed by Siegferth. ACCESS, which provides services and shelter to women and children experiencing homelessness, has a 230 W. Market St. location next to the building it purchased from BBB Akron.
Meanwhile, at the AES Building, construction has been ongoing for the past several months and is almost done, Siegferth said. The team will move into the new unit on Sept. 3, then the organization's board of directors will take a tour on Sept. 19.
"We hope to have an open house shortly thereafter," Siegferth said. "With the employees starting on September 3, it gives us a little time to get those finishing touches put together, which is exactly how we want to introduce it to the community."
The 388 S. Main St. building was constructed in 1925 as B.F. Goodrich's Building No. 41, according to Akron-Canton Metroplex Magazine. Pentagonal shapes were more recently cut out of its thick concrete floors to bring skylight into the atrium.
Siegferth said the building plays into Akron's rich rubber history. Another tire manufacturer, Goodyear, is a founding partner of Akron BBB.
"And clearly, this is not what they had envisioned for the space way back when it was created," she said of B.F. Goodrich from the balcony outside Suite 302. "But it's just beautiful."
The new office will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, aside from major government holidays.
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.
We’re small but mighty and really nimble—yes, we wear a lot of hats. We don’t like to discuss our ages but let’s just say our team has way over a century of combined experience.
