Auditing Firm Relocates HQ to Westchase

HOUSTON-A local firm that specializes in auditing public companies has relocated its world headquarters from Greenway Plaza to Westchase, more than doubling its space with a 12,074-square-foot lease.

GBH CPAs PC signed an 80-month lease at One Oak Park, a 153,000-square-foot office building located at 6002 Rogerdale Rd. The firm currently occupies 5,200 square feet at 24 Greenway Plaza through a sublease agreement with Weaver, a Fort Worth, TX-based accounting firm. Weaver also is in a growth mode and needed the space GBH occupied.

“Our lease is up in May, and we had an option of taking other space in our current building, but we decided to go ahead and look around,” says David Grossman, shareholder of GBH CPAs. He tells GlobeSt that the firm evaluated several different submarkets before settling on the Westchase area.

“One of the advantages to being in Westchase is that it’s closer to our workforce,” Grossman notes. “Most of our workforce lives on the west or northwest side of Houston so this makes the commute much easier for our employees.”

Grossman says One Oak Park beat out three other buildings. The six-story building, which was developed by local real estate firm Means Knaus Partners L.P. and completed in April 2009, is certified LEED-NC Gold by the US Green Building Council. Designed by Gensler, it offers large, efficient floor plates, light-filled office space, energy efficient systems for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning and six watts per square foot of electrical service.

One Oak Park also features a comprehensive fitness center and a tree-shaded exterior courtyard with wireless service. Situated on 8.4 acres, the building is connected by a covered walkway to the air-conditioned elevator lobbies of a four-level parking garage, which offers a parking ratio of four per 1,000 square feet.

Grossman says One Oak Park upgrades GBH CPAs image. As part of the lease, the firm will receive monument signage and placement in the building’s digital directory. Amenities and concessions also played a large part in the decision.

“We liked the amenities One Oak Park offered, particularly the workout facility,” Grossman says. “And, the landlord gave us some good incentives to make the move. When we put all those things together, the move made a lot of sense. We hope it will make us more attractive to future employees.”

GBH CPAs will move into its fifth-floor space in late May. The new office will feature an expanded reception area that is “much nicer” than the one the firm has now, Grossman says. Moreover, the firm’s break room is more employee-friendly, designed with a game room-feel and boasting a pool table and wide-screen television.

With the GBH CPAs lease, One Oak Park is now 45% leased. Chip Colvill and Michael Anderson of Colvill Office Properties, leasing agent for the property, represented One Oak Park. Anthony Squillante of Stream Realty Partners’ local office represented the tenant.