GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Pure Architects, an architecture firm with offices in Grand Rapids and Detroit that was founded in 2020, has received the Minority Business of the Year award from the Michigan Celebrates Small Business organization.

“This recognition is especially gratifying because it highlights the importance of our human-centered work culture, our quality client service and community good,” said Zachary Verhulst, the company’s founder and CEO.

“Our mission is to collaborate with our clients in a way that values the input of all participants, and using that collective input to design spaces and places that interlace the client’s needs with the values of the surrounding community and the environment.”

The award recognizes business leaders who have provided employment for the minority community, grown staff and business revenues, displayed a positive company culture, and supported minority groups and nonprofits through community service, according to a news release.

With 26 employees, Pure Architects, located at 422 Leonard St. NW, Suite 201, specializes in “innovative design work.”

“The vision of the company is that every project, every building, makes an impact beyond its walls,” a news release says. “As a Black-owned design firm leading a team devoted to equity and design excellence, Pure sets out to provide a comprehensive and inclusive approach to every project. The staff is committed to an empathetic, economically responsible, and environmentally mindful process, that manifests purpose in place.”

Projects the company has worked on include the John Ball Zoo Koala Exhibit, offices for Kalamazoo-based R.W. LaPine, as well as Sip Coffee & Cocktails in Grand Rapids.