Bowles Rice Breaks Ground on New Location for Martinsburg Office
L to R: Allen Henry, President, Panhandle Builders & Excavating, Inc.; Jennifer Smith, Executive Director, Berkeley County Development Authority; Joe Caltrider, Partner, Bowles Rice LLP; David DeJarnett, Partner, Bowles Rice LLP; Marc Monteleone, Managing Partner, Bowles Rice LLP; Alison Cox, Special Counsel, Bowles Rice LLP; Heather McIntyre, Executive Director, Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce; Elizabeth Webster, President & CEO, Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce; Andrea Lester, Office Manager, Bowles Rice LLP; and Liana Stinson, Associate, Bowles Rice LLP.
Martinsburg, West Virginia – Bowles Rice LLP is pleased to officially announce that ground has been broken on the site of a new home for its Martinsburg, West Virginia office. Construction began in mid-October with the pouring of the foundation footers.
The new office will be located off of the I-81 King Street exchange on Tuscarora Pike. Bowles Rice will be the single occupant of the new office building, which will provide 13,000 square feet of space for its attorneys, legal assistants, secretaries, and administrative staff. The move from downtown Martinsburg, which the firm and its predecessor has called home for over 50 years, to a more suburban setting will provide easy access, ample parking, and other conveniences for firm clients across the Eastern Panhandle region and beyond. The firm plans to take occupancy in June of 2025.
“We’ve witnessed the potential and promise of this region for decades,” said Marc Monteleone, Managing Partner of Bowles Rice. “Now is the time for Bowles Rice to follow the Eastern Panhandle’s lead and grow our presence in the fastest growing area in West Virginia with the construction of a new and modern home for our offices.”
The Bowles Rice firm has called 101 South Queen Street in downtown Martinsburg home since 1989, when Charleston-based Bowles McDavid Graff & Love merged with Rice, Douglas & Shingleton. This merger, which was the firm’s first, established Bowles Rice and gave the firm a foothold in the Eastern Panhandle region.
“We’ve witnessed – and have actively participated in – the dramatic development that this region has undergone since the 1990s and the turn of the 21st century,” said David DeJarnett, a Bowles Rice partner and responsible attorney for the firm’s Martinsburg office. “From commercial and residential real estate development, large and small business growth, and economic development projects, to advancing and defending our clients’ interests in court, to private client services such as business succession and tax planning, estate planning, and more, our full-service firm has proudly played its part in supporting a broad client base that has redefined our region. The thoughtful design and construction of a new home for Bowles Rice will enhance our abilities to serve our clients and cultivate new relationships. We couldn’t be more excited to form new foundations and grow our presence in the region.”
Talk of the new office building has created quite the buzz across the firm, but especially in Martinsburg. Alison Cox, an estates and trusts attorney who’s been with the firm for nearly a decade, said, “We are really looking forward to moving into our new office building. I am proud that Bowles Rice has always had a strong presence in our community, not just through our professional work, but also in our community involvement. Our attorneys provide services to and are leaders in a multitude of civic and nonprofit organizations. We look forward to welcoming not only our clients, but also our partners and colleagues in our community into our vibrant new space as well.”
Liana Stinson, a litigator who recently celebrated her fourth year with the firm, added, “I am thrilled about the construction of Bowles Rice’s new office in Martinsburg. Our new office represents a significant milestone for the firm and symbolizes our commitment to providing exceptional legal services to the community for decades to come.”
Panhandle Builders and Excavating, Inc., are handling the general contracting duties of the build. Panhandle Rental Properties, Inc., an affiliate of Panhandle Builders, will serve as lessor of the commercial property.
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Bowles Rice is a full-service law firm with more than 100 attorneys serving clients from six offices located in Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown, and Parkersburg, West Virginia; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and Winchester, Virginia.