“Going
digital” has taken on a whole new meaning at Westgate Shopping Center’s Foto
1 Imaging. This year – at Foto 1
-- it means building a new 13,700 square foot Arbor headquarters, most of which
will be dedicated to shooting and producing digital images.
Foto 1 Building Designed
Construction began last fall on the 2.1-acre site, located
in Park Place Business Park in Pittsfield Township. A distinctive design element
of the building is the north curtain wall that consists of clear glass panels
that run all the way up to the sixteen-foot roof of the building. According to
Mark Borys, the Mitchell & Mouat architect who designed the building, the
dimensions of the panels are the same proportions as frames in a roll of film:
2:3. Borys says motorists driving down Oak Valley Drive will have a full
“officescape” of Foto 1 activity to view through the glass as they pass by.
Galvanized aluminum metal panels will finish the exterior
of the building, with accents of concrete block. Much of the interior of the
space will be open, utilizing nine-foot high, modular office partitioning
systems. The steel truss roof system and metal deck will be exposed, as will all
the runs of mechanical and electrical hookups. A fabricated steel entry canopy
facing the parking lot will be finished in royal blue, a Foto 1 hallmark.
July Move Scheduled
Phoenix Contractors is the general contractor for the job.
The building will be completed this summer, and Foto 1 expects to make its move
to the new quarters in July. Assuming the business continues to grow, a 5,000
square foot addition could be completed at the site, too. The 11,500 square foot
Westgate store will be downsized to 2,500 square feet, but will continue to
offer its current range of services.
Cutting Edge
“Digital [technology] has changed everything I’ve been
doing for eighteen years,” says Bill Van Cleve, a co-owner of the business. He
says he has to have the new facility to meet the unprecedented demand for
digital output services. Foto 1 is currently one of the three largest photo
laboratories in Michigan. His market consists of six counties in southeast
Michigan, but he also has customers on both the east and west coasts.
The commercial client base served by Foto 1 is about eighty
percent digital, according to Gerry Snyder, the other co-owner. “Five years
ago digital processing was only twenty percent of our business,” he says.
“But last month, for instance, we bought an Arizona 500 digital printer (the
only one in Michigan), and paid almost $200,000 for it. It is an enormously
expensive and competitive market we’re in.” Company-wide, the digital
business represents about sixty-five percent of Foto1’s work. Next year, that
number will be higher.
Westgate Stays Open
Thirty-five people will be employed at the new building. A
dozen staff will continue to serve customers at Foto 1’s Westgate Shopping
Center storefront.
Park Place Business Park is a 64-acre planned unit
development (PUD) that was originally developed by Ann Arbor Associates in 1995.
The Ice Cube, a two-rink ice arena on 14.4 acres, was the first lot to be
completed. All but two of the eleven original lots have been sold.
New Schlenker Building Tenant
The National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Midwest
regional office has re-located on the top two floors of the historic Schlenker
Building at 213 W. Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor. NWF was formerly in the
Carver Building near central campus, but moved to the 9,500 square foot
Schlenker suite because it needed additional space. Fitch Communications leases
6,600 square feet on the main floor, and a residential apartment (2,000 square
feet) is under lease on the second floor. One 1,600 square foot office (finished
as a “white box”) remains available for lease. Construction and renovation
of the building was completed in December, 2000.
For More Information Contact:
Bill Milliken, CCIM
Milliken Realty Company
100 Huron View Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Tel: 734-821-4321
Fax: 734-821-4322
Internet: info@millikenrealty.com
Property listing data is based on information believed accurate & reliable. However, accuracy is not guaranteed.
Copyright © 2005 Milliken Realty Company
info@millikenrealty.com
