From the 2024 Downtown Spokane Economic Report

When HMA CPA outgrew their space on Riverside Avenue two years ago, their ownership group had to decide if they wanted to stay downtown.

Ultimately, the answer was a resounding yes.

Mike Whitmore, CPA and shareholder, said a key benefit of being downtown is the impromptu networking that occurs. Every time they go out for lunch, they’ll see attorneys, bankers, and other clients, so it keeps them connected to the business community.

Their central location at 601 West 1st Avenue, inside the Washington Trust Bank Tower, is convenient for clients, and most importantly, they have a staff that wants to be downtown.

The office foodies appreciate all the restaurants nearby, and with a parking garage that employees can access anytime, it’s easy to rendezvous for group events like Bloomsday or bring their families downtown for a day at Riverfront Park or shopping at River Park Square.

There’s also the fun – and laughs – of renting Lime Sooters in the summer and zooming over to Kendall Yards for lunch. (Beware of the “biker gang” of accountants on scooters!)

HMA CPA has adopted a hybrid approach to work, with everyone in the office on “Together Tuesdays.” Although employees can work remotely the other days – depending on years of experience – nearly half choose to be in the office every day.

“If you want a culture where people feel like they can flourish, you need to foster that, and frankly, it’s hard to foster that remotely,” said Whitmore. He explained that as accountants, data is big to them, and there’s a lot of data showing that remote workers have lower job satisfaction, productivity rates and sense of belonging.

“We want to make sure that everyone is mentally healthy, and our relationships with other people have a big effect on our mental health,” said Whitmore. “Having an office with a physical footprint, where staff feel like they’re part of the community, increases their wellness, and that’s important to us as employers.”

After spending 20 years downtown in the Peyton Building, Coffman Engineers faced a similar decision as HMA CPA when their lease was up and plans were underway to convert  the historic building into living spaces.

Karl Kolb, Coffman Engineers Senior Vice President, Managing Principal & Northwest Regional Manager, said that after surveying staff and talking with leadership, they decided to stay in the downtown core for several reasons: the central location for clients and employees; the accessibility of hospitality amenities for out-of-town business guests; STA’s mass transit offerings; and all the attractions downtown, from Riverfront Park to shopping, sports and entertainment venues.

Downtown is also the perfect backdrop for team-building activities, and for long strategic planning meetings, they’ll often head offsite to a gorgeous venue like Ruby River Hotel, The Davenport Grand Hotel or the Historic Davenport.

When Coffman Engineers found their new location at 221 North Wall Street, they took advantage of the fresh start and intentionally designed a space that would reflect their culture and approach to collaboration.

“We wanted to celebrate those things we do better when we’re together and create a space for that to happen,” said Kolb.

Their new location features a “charrette room,” an informal, extremely flexible large space, so that everyone, from contractors to architects or community partners, can set up whatever kind of creative workspace they need. They also built an expanded breakroom with lots of social space, where employees can play games and socialize during their lunch hours.

For people who bike to work or like to get out on breaks to ride, walk or run the Centennial Trail, they can take advantage of building amenities including shower rooms and locked, lighted indoor bike storage.

From their office windows, they have a view of Riverfront Park, which is especially spectacular in the winter when you can see the Pavilion light shows and people cozying up with hot cocoa at the Skate Ribbon’s outdoor fire pits.

Of course, it’s not just long-standing companies that want to be downtown. It’s attracting plenty of new businesses too, like Treasury4, a fast-growing enterprise fintech.

Founded remotely in 2020, Treasury4’s partners had a vision to grow their company and to do it in downtown Spokane.

Steve Helmbrecht, president and CEO said, “We wanted to be embedded in the community, to be part of what’s going on in the heart of our city.”

They were attracted to the Wonder Building, the old bread factory on Spokane’s scenic North Bank because of its location (especially with the second-order impact of The Podium, ONE Spokane Stadium, and Spokane Arena creating vibrancy on that side of the river), ease of parking, and amenities and atmosphere of downtown.

“As a software startup, we wanted to have that right kind of vibe,” said Helmbrecht.

Occupying the entire third floor of the building, their terraces overlook Riverfront Park, and with the new footbridge, it’s a 10-minute walk through the park to the downtown core. Employees love walking in the park, and out-of-towners staying at hotels in the core can easily access their location and all the best that downtown offers.

“We are proud of being from Spokane and we want people to see this beautiful area we have,” said Helmbrecht.

While he doesn’t have anything against remote work, Helmbrecht said most staff are from Spokane and in the office five days a week. The benefit of being together – collaborating, sharing and learning – gets people up to speed much faster. (One new employee said he had more interaction in a week and a half than he’d had in the prior two years working remotely!)

“They’re thriving being back, even if it’s hybrid. They feel included and like part of a team,” said Helmbrecht.

There have been so many improvements over the past year to make downtown more vibrant, especially all the work the Downtown Spokane Clean Team has done to maintain the area’s green spaces and public sidewalks.

This commitment to downtown continues to attract new businesses and invites the folks who moved out during COVID to come back because it’s a fantastic place to be.