by Mike Oliver | Aug 2, 2013 | Office News, Uncategorized
Kim, Pamela, Tina, Larry and I opened our firm’s principal office today at 502 Washington Ave, Suite 605, Towson Maryland. While we started business on May 1, 2013 it was not really until today that we felt like a complete firm in our own place. So, we think of today as our first real day in business. The first 90 days of a new business are brutal – trying to balance client demands, administrative matters, and the variety of oddbird things that you just cannot anticipate. Many things went right, some went wrong, some were unexpected. I hope to chronicle some of what we went through in future posts – as a teaser, we started inauspiciously – after engaging a tenant rep (see below) we set off to review space for leasing – and the first two buildings we visited had power out-tages just as we arrived to view the property! Needless to say, we were a little worried that was a bad omen ;-).
Power-outages notwithstanding, today we poured a little champagne in plastic cups, and toasted our office opening to a hoped for success in the future, for us and our clients. More pictures will come as we get fully up and running (our main lobby sign is not done yet, and the walls are pretty bare).
I cannot possibly fully express my thanks to the three young ladies pictured here (left to right, Kim Grimsley, Tina Neuman and Pamela Riewerts) and Larry Guffey, for taking a real big leap with me on this firm. I could not be practicing law with better lawyers, or with people that I enjoy working with more. I am sure we face some challenges ahead, but we are all very focused on client service, upholding high ethical standards, having a fun work environment (a little more on that below), and providing the best legal services we can at a fair and reasonable fee.
That brings me to another thank you – to the clients, service providers, landlords, and friends who have offered advice or just a “good luck” wish at an opportune time. At the risk of forgetting some, and the risk of the proverbial academy awards music playing to stop the speech, here goes:
First, to the clients that followed us from our prior firm (for privacy reasons we do not list here individuals): Chesapeake System Solutions, Inc. (thanks Peter and Jim), Talascend, Inc. (Thanks Ron, Jason and Bruce), Key Technologies, Inc. (Thanks Brian, Jenny, Keith and Scott), Delmar Brewing Company, LLC (thanks John), Digital Innovation, Inc. (thanks John and Tim), Woofound, Inc. (thank you Dan, Josh, Ken and whole gang there), Calvert Education Services, LLC (thanks Brady), OmniTI Computer Consulting, Inc. (thanks Jim and Theo), Reportsee, Inc./SpotCrime (thanks Coli), Better Business Bureau of Greater MD (thanks Angie and Jody), BJQ Sales & Service, LLC (thanks Tom), Trigger Agency, LLC (thanks Greg), Merritt Properties, LLC (thanks Melissa), Message Systems, Inc. (thanks to Joal, James, George and Alec, and all the staff), Intersect Healthcare, Inc. (thanks Brian and Bob), Celebree Learning Center (thanks Lisa), eCoast Sales Solutions, Ltd. (thanks Chris, Allen and Erik), TenantRex, LLC (thanks Adrian, Sammy and Zach), Art With a Heart, Inc. (thanks Randi), CCL Biomedical, Inc. (thanks Nina and Judy), Bloomery Plantation Distillery, LLC (thanks Linda), Baltimore Technology Group, LLC (thanks James), Barcoding, Inc. (thanks Jay), Mario Armstrong Media, LLC (thanks Mario and Nicole), Founders Financial Securities, LLC (thanks Brad, Kurt, Mike and the whole team there), Maryland Speed, LLC (thanks Branden), Business Stress Management Services, Inc. (thanks Adam), WePassed, LLC (thanks David), Enterprise Insurance Training, Inc. (thanks Tom), American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (thanks Kerry), Blackbee Media, LLC (thanks Allison), CAM Technologies, Inc. (thanks Chris), Early Morning Software, Inc. (thanks Cecil and Donna), East-Coast Equipment, LLC (thanks Shad), Finding Definitions, LLC (thanks Mia), Figure 53, LLC (thanks Christopher), HackSurfer, LLC (thanks Jason and Rebekah), MsgWorx (thanks Rick and Sallie), Liaison Group, LLC (thanks Lou), Hertzbach & Company, P.A. (thanks Don), Workuments, LLC (thanks Joe), Randall Point Enterprises (thanks Anthony), OTB Consulting, LLC (thanks Bob and Tom), Mansbach Health Tools, LLC (thanks Bill), Icon Logic, Inc. (thanks Kevin), Sonex Research, Inc. (thanks George), Securities Pricing & Research, Inc. (thanks Brad), Reed Street Productions, LLC (thanks Ryan), South River Technologies, Inc. (thanks Mike and Tracy), Stanton Communications, Inc. (thanks Peter), Star Management Services, Inc. (thanks Eric), R. Boutique LLC (thanks Robert), Impresst Business Solutions, Inc. (thanks Steve), Nut House, LLC (thanks Joanna), Algiatry, LLC (thanks Paul), White Horse Consulting (thanks Dave), Spread Concepts (thanks Michal), Genesic Semiconductors (thanks Ranbir), RevMax Hospitality Management, LLC (thanks Sonny), Smartlegal Forms (thanks Richard), Seven Swells, LLC (thanks Tyler), Sobosoft, LLC (thanks Brian), SOEP Networking & Comm. Solutions, LLC (thanks Daryl), Sweet Satisfaction, LLC (thanks Kathy), The Prosperity Consulting Group, LLC (thanks Don), The Sandy Bottom Enterprise, LLC (thanks Sandy), Tonar, Inc (thanks Asgerdur), W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (thanks Laura).
It goes without saying, without clients, we would not have a firm. Thank you for bearing with us when we could not quite manage the turnaround times you might have been used to.
Next, we thank the lawyers, accountants and others that place their trust in us and continue to refer their clients to us for legal services in our practice area. When we can, we will return the favor of referrals.
Next, to some folks who helped us out at the beginning – Elliott Wagonheim – thanks Elliott for meeting with us and helping us on some of our own legal issues; Stephanie Cereijo at Towson Executive Offices – for renting us temporary space, and her staff for being absolutely fantastic to work with; Chris Murray, Gates Blair and Natalie Meconi at Mid Atlantic Properties, our new landlord – they have been utterly fantastic to deal with, soup to nuts; and Matt Mueller at Mackenzie Properties, who worked with us as a tenant rep and told us the staff at Midap were great to work with.
Next to our new clients who are taking a risk on a new firm – and that somehow found us even though we have done absolutely no marketing of any kind – we have just not had the time.
Finally, but not in the least, to our spouses, children, and extended families for putting up with us. We have been working essentially non stop the last 90 days (and even before that) and that puts a lot of stress on our loved ones.
As we get going and find the time, we hope to begin posting spotlights of some of our clients and referring parties.
We are incredibly lucky to have a viable business and as soon as we fully get our feet on the ground and find some free time (what small business owner has any of that!), we want to give some back as well – and help someone the way all of the above named and unnamed people have helped us or if we can, provide pro bono services.
And now to that teaser about a fun place to work – two of us are trekkies (mostly closet trekkies), so we got this little device – Star Trek Electronic Door Chime – so when you come into my office or Tina’s, if we have it on, you hear that turbolift sound.
More later. Best regards to all, Mike
Our team at Oliver & Grimsley, LLC recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary at 