Marketing Firm Buys New Home

The principals of HCC Marketing, a full-service marketing communications company located in East Providence, have purchased the building and adjacent parking lot at 57 Maple Ave. in Barrington.

The building housed The Stock Exchange, a consignment store, for many years under several owners. The firm plans to move to the location within 8 to 10 weeks.

HCC is owned by four partners, including Barrington residents Bill DeWitt, a town councilor, and Bob Hurley. The firm employs a staff of 11.

"We're very pleased to be able to move our business to Barrington,” said DeWitt. "Most of our employees are East Bay residents. We were outgrowing our current space, and we saw 57 Maple Avenue as an ideal location for the agency. The building will nicely accommodate our growth and workplace requirements."

Hurley said the firm has been growing and adding people.

"We've been here for about five and a half years," he said, "and the reality is we've added people and are a little crowded."

The principals chose to purchase the building instead of leasing larger space, said DeWitt, because it made better economic sense. The purchase price for the building and lot was $395,000.

"We expect to grow," said Hurley. "The purchase of the building indicates we expect to be around for a while."

HCC’s owners will begin immediately to assess what renovations are needed to suit their business, but they expect only minimal, cosmetic work to the building’s exterior.

Offices and a conference room will be carved out of the interior, said DeWitt. The move from East Providence will depend a great deal on the speed of renovations. Its current location is leased through Aug. 31, said Hurley.

The firm does not need the entire parking lot, which stretches from behind the building to Hamilton Avenue on the north to Cottage Street on the west. DeWitt said: "We will be exploring opportunities to use the lot."

HCC Marketing describes itself as a full-service marketing communications company. It was founded in 1987.

The firm offers a range of services from strategic and brand planning to all communications including television, radio, print, web development, sales promotion, corporate identity, and direct marketing. The company has worked with national, regional, and local brands in categories such as financial services, non-profit, sporting goods, footwear, retail, and business-to-business.

For more information on the company, visit www.hccmarketing.com.