BSI Corporate Benefits (BSI) celebrated the opening of its new office in a former firehouse in south Bethlehem with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 19.
The company was committed to staying in Bethlehem, where it had been located on the North Side for about the past dozen years, CEO Tony DaRe said.
“I think it's a pretty easy choice for all of us,” he told a crowd of clients, vendors, public officials, and others who gathered outside BSI’s new location at 205 Webster St. 
He said there are “amazing things happening in the city” under Mayor J. William Reynolds.
About 50 BSI employees will work in the building initially, with plans to double that workforce in the coming years.
Reynolds said BSI is a valued member of the Bethlehem community.
“There is a culture, there is a spirit, there are values that are inherent to who BSI is that you don't find in every company. You just don't. There is a genuineness about helping other people and being part of the community. That is who BSI is,” he said.
Reynolds said the renovation of the former Victory Fire House, which opened for the city fire department in 1926, symbolizes Bethlehem’s reinvention. The city respects its heritage, he said, while thinking about its future.
In 1941, the city sold the firehouse to Bethlehem Steel, which operated its main fire company from it for more than 50 years.
BSI purchased the building from Mike Gausling, a founder and former CEO of OraSure Technologies next door, who had owned the building since 2006. Gausling previously operated entrepreneur investment firm Originate Ventures from there.
DaRe recognized Gausling’s influence on him as a mentor and thanked him during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“I want to emulate the kind of person that you are and the kind of leader that you've been in your community and the way that you consistently showed how to do things the right way,” DaRe said.
Gausling lauded BSI for its renovation of the building.
“It's transformational for me what they've done with the building, to really build the brand identity of BSI,” he said. “They're a unique, exciting company, and the building will just reinforce that. You guys are going to have a ton of good memories here.”
Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong presented BSI with a proclamation to mark the building’s opening.
“I want you to know how much we appreciate what you've done for this community,” Armstrong said.
Among the officials who participated in the ribbon-cutting was Don Cunningham, President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC).
BSI was founded in 2003 and also has offices in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Detroit. BSI has been recognized as one of the “Best Workplaces” three years in a row, as well as being added to the “Inc. 5000” list. Within the past 12 months, BSI Corporate Benefits has been selected as a winner of the 2023 MarshBerry MAX Performer Awards and received a Net Promoter Score of 88, which are both a mark of distinction for independent insurance agencies.
(Photo by Marco Calderon, courtesy of BSI)