Garver Buys 2 NorthShore Buildings for $1.9M

Garver's three-story headquarters at 4701 Northshore Drive in North Little Rock was constructed in 2009.

Garver, a North Little Rock engineering firm, has acquired two 5,000-SF buildings and a future building site at 7700 Northshore Place in North Little Rock for about $1.2 million.

The firm, which is celebrating its 100th year, plans to expand its existing headquarters in the business park, at 4701 Northshore Drive. The seller was M&S Property Investments LLC.

Garver spokesperson Anita Smith told Arkansas Business that renovations are set to begin in June. The firm’s teams are expected to move into one of the buildings by early fall.

One building will provide more space for Garver’s corporate support staff; the other will be used for equipment storage.

“As our company has grown both regionally and in Arkansas, we were hoping to find a second location near our corporate headquarters building in North Little Rock,” she wrote in an email. “In addition to allowing our teams to remain in close proximity to coworkers, it also provides access to Garver’s onsite gym and other wellness benefits offered to employees.”

Currently, 180 of Garver’s nearly 600 employees work from its headquarters. The firm has 28 offices in 11 states.

“We have maximized space in our headquarters building, so we are spreading out our current employees in North Little Rock and preparing space for future hires,” Smith wrote. “Initially, approximately 20 Garver employees will move to the new building.”

Garver does not have current plans to build on the new site that is included in the acquisition.

Smith said the NorthShore Business Park had been home to the company’s corporate headquarters since 2009. The park’s proximity to the Arkansas River Trail system was a factor in moving Garver there, she said.

The newly acquired property previously served as headquarters for a regional restaurant franchise and as an office for Cantrell Drug. Jeff Hathaway, president at Hathaway Group of Little Rock, represented the seller.

“Their three-story flagship building is a signature feature of Northshore Business Park, situated near the park’s entrance,” Hathaway said in a news release. “It’s great to see a firm with such national reach expand its presence here in central Arkansas. There was a lot of competing interest in the property.”