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Women in Business — April 6, 2015

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www.HartfordBusiness.com April6,2015•Hartford Business Journal 3 Regus expands its temp-space model across CT By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com A mong the industries where outsourc- ing has taken root, the commercial office market has had mixed success with the concept. Landlords and office-support firms whose models involve leasing or subletting whole chunks of office space daily, weekly, monthly or longer to mobile executives, consultants, salespeople or firms lacking the cash or com- mitment for longer term leases have been around for decades. Two of the biggest players at one time, HQ and Regus, went bankrupt earlier this cen- tury, victims of waning office-space demand in the wake of the dot-com bubble bust. Now, Great Britain-based Regus is back as the world's leading outsourcer of office space and has squarely targeted Connecti- cut and the Hartford region for expansion as office-space demand, particularly in subur- ban Hartford, heats up, a Regus official says. "Companies are trying to be more green today,'' said Maria Paitchel, Regus' regional vice president. "It allows them to be more pro- ductive and closer to where they live.'' Regus Business Centers have opened in two suburban Class A Hartford office build- ings in the past four months, on top of spaces in 100 Pearl St. downtown and East Berlin. Regus took ownership of the latter two prop- erties when it acquired HQ in 2004. Regus also opened a Bridgeport center around Thanks- giving, joining its other Fairfield County facil- ity inside Stamford's Soundview Plaza. In April, Regus will open a fifth Connecti- cut facility in Rocky Hill with about 133 dedi- cated work spaces at 175 Capital Blvd., in the Corporate Ridge office-industrial complex. Two more are set to open in New Haven and Danbury this summer, Paitchel said. "We're growing quickly,'' she said. Office outsourcing and other "coworking'' arrangements in which businesses and non- profit organizations share space, staff and other resources has existed throughout the U.S. for decades. But the trend has gained momentum in Connecticut the last seven years, since onset of the Great Recession. Regus' business model is fairly straightfor- ward. Clients, or members, as Regus refers to them, sign up to use space around the clock in any of its 3,000 Business Centers worldwide. Usage costs range from $219 to $1,000 per month, depending on the location, size and type of space and length of time needed. Its New York City centers are more expensive than its Connecticut spaces, officials say. Tenants get free coffee and Wi-Fi, plus the use of copiers, fax machines and other office equipment and supplies, said Paula Hews, who manages Regus' 15,500-square-foot center cov- ering the entire third floor at 360 Bloomfield Ave. in Windsor, which opened in December. A recent tour of the building that at one time was headquarters for former mail- advertising distributor Advo Inc. reveals space that doesn't appear much different from corporate office space -- just smaller. Upon enter- ing through glass doors, Regus users and their guests enter the Business Center lobby, where they are greeted by a receptionist/office assistant. A long table with seating on both sides provides an open work space, including power plugins for laptops or to recharge mobile devices. The center's other amenities include meet- ing and conference rooms. It also has a vid- eoconference/meeting room equipped with a 42-inch monitor. Parking at Regus' suburban centers is free. The office assistant serves almost like a hotel concierge, Hews said, to assist users with services such as receipt of regular mail or overnight package/document pickup and delivery. For an extra fee, the assistant can help with some office chores. Its client-member list is varied, Hews says. "You name it. Most any source of occupa- tion,'' said Hews, a former realty broker who in eight years with Regus has opened centers in the U.S. and as far away as Australia. "We have lawyers, consultants, stockbrokers, therapists.'' Regus space also appeals, she said, to local and out-of-state employers overseeing temporary assignments or contract work for which a long-term office lease would be wasteful and expensive. They can lease for however long the space is needed. Australia's Servcorp also competes with Regus in the U.S. and abroad. Regus has carved 80 offices along two, long corridors inside the Bloomfield office building that also houses offices for Xerox, among other corporate tenants. Larger suites, some corner spaces with sweeping outdoor views, line the third- floor perimeter. 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