Barrett & Company PLLC, a local CPA firm, will break ground on a 6,000 square-foot building before the end of this month, according to Drew Barrett, the firm’s business development manager. The company hopes to move from their current location on Northeast Parkway Drive to the new facility, located on 2.5 acres on Northwest Camas Meadows Drive, in October.
Barrett said the new building is part of a plan to grow their business significantly over the next five years – from their current staff of 11 to as many as 20. In addition, said Barrett, the building they are currently leasing is “almost vacant”; they hope the new building will provide a more vibrant atmosphere for their firm. Barrett & Company hopes to lease 2,000 square feet of the new building to a professional services tenant that would complement their service offerings.
Robertson & Olson, a long-time client of Barrett & Co., will serve as the general contractor, and Barrett said many other long-term clients, such as civil engineering firm Mackay and Sposito, will participate in the project. The building was designed by Tiland/Schmidt Architects of Portland, and will look somewhat like a log cabin. It will include a patio and deck overlooking the Camas Meadows’ eighth green and a creek.
“People’s first impression will be ‘that doesn’t look like an office building,’” said Barrett.
The move to Camas Meadows represents the third location for the company. When Lance Barrett founded the firm in 1986, it was located in Portland. In 1996, he moved the company from Portland to Vancouver, to be closer to clients. Now, Barrett said, the firm is focusing on maintaining the relationships they have already established, and growing their business in the niche they have created, which is providing CPA services to construction, manufacturing and transportation businesses.
“A lot of companies who are with larger accounting firms don’t have that one-on-one efficient communications they can find at our firm,” said Barrett.
He said that at a recent national marketing conference, several larger accounting firms expressed interest in learning how to develop the sort of team environment that exists at Barrett & Company.
“It’s really exciting for us,”
he said.
Barrett said his firm has established close relationships with faculty at WSU Vancouver and Gonzaga University in Spokane. These relationships, he said, have enabled his firm to recruit “some great accountants” that will enable Barrett & Company to take on a lot more work while maintaining existing client relationships.
“There’s a lot of students that are from the Portland/Vancouver area that would like to come home to work, but aren’t sure where to go,” said Barrett. “Because we’re locally owned, we can market to some of these high-end students who would normally want to work at larger companies.”
