The Office Space Podcast

I moderated a panel on the Return to Work for the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC). The panelists included Mike Hughes, labor attorney with Smith Amundson, Monti Redman, HR consultant and Shazia Sultan, HR consultant. We discussed topics such as vaccine mandates, HR and Facilities and communications of policies.

Yes, I let Donald Trump take the mic and read the highlights from the Colliers Q1 Chicago CBD Office Market. It's only about 6 minutes.

Four Colliers professionals discuss the trends in office leasing they are seeing in their respective markets. 

Scott Ubersox, Executive Vice President Real Estate and Facilities discusses the challenges of managing a real estate portfolio that grew from 70 offices to over 700 locations with 9,000 employees. Having come from the office brokerage side of the business, he brings a unique perspective.

IWBI, featured on Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies List, is the leading global movement to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive. Stephen Brown, VP Global Market Development discusses the health and wellness movement and how IWBI is addressing the current environment. Spoiler alert, they are very busy.

Dan Park, Senior Vice President and Asset Manager with KBS provides his perspective on the office market. KBS acquires and operates prime commercial real estate in some of the most successful markets in the country. They have acquired $42.7 billion worth of real estate over the 28 years in business. 

Great discussion with Tom Zurowski, the founder and CEO of Eastlake Studios, a premier Chicago based architectural firm that focuses on workplace interiors, with a balance of assignments between tenants and building owners. What is the future of office interior design?

Patrick Depoy is an attorney with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Client Service Group. He tackles questions like, "Can I force my employees to come back to work?”, “What if someone refuses?” “What is my responsibility to make the workplace safe?”. Important topics under the circumstances. Some relevant links from Patrick:  BCLP Resources for Emp...

Anjee Solanki, National Director of Retail Services for the US at Colliers provides her perspective on the future of retail.

Two office leasing attorneys, Stacy Osmond from DLA Piper and Brian Spangler with Katten Muchin Rosenman highlight the major considerations in leases. They provide thought provoking insight into how to protect yourself within a lease and things to think about related to the current pandemic. 

Ben Wright, founder of Upsuite providest his views on coworking and what the future holds. Upsuite was founded to enable flexibility in the office market.  Upsuite enables hundreds of new companies per month to find space and connects them to more than 25,000 available suites in 27 North American markets.  Upsuite was one of ten companies globally to complete the Colliers Proptech Accele...

Discussion with Donna Kelly, Head of Facilities, Rakuten Americas. How does a Japanese based company manage their US facilities and nurture their culture of kindness?

Discussion with Director of US Operations at Wix.com, Kayla Crooks. Along with its headquarters and other offices in Israel, Wix also has offices in Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Lithuania, the United States, and Ukraine. Kayla details her responsibilities and how they are maintaining corporate culture while keeping employees safe and productive.

Discussion with Brian Atkinson, Managing Director at Hines, a leading global real estate investment and development firm. We talk about the new Salesforce Tower in Chicago, the future of development, and an optimistic outlook on retail and amenities. 

Lisa Miller, Director Insights and Applications with HNI, one of the largest global furniture manufacturers (Allsteel, HON, Gunlocke) discusses how they are reacting to what their clients are facing. 

Sue Lehman, Managing Director of property management at Colliers International describes what her team is dealing with as they manage almost 50 million square feet in the Chicago area. What can tenants expect to see in their office buildings when they return, and how are property managers keeping people safe. 

Dougal and Andy MacGregor, President of Accend Construction (A Skyline Company) discuss trends that are affecting the construction industry and what it means for tenants and building owners. Andy and his team have been involved in some of the largest interior build outs in Chicago.

Interview with Francesco De Camilli, Americas Head of Flexible Workspace Consulting for Colliers. Francesco and I discuss the trends in coworking and how the new normal will effect this industry moving forward. 

Interview with Kimberly Eberl, CEO of MotionPR, a 58 person PR and Marketing Firm based in Chicago. She has had her own business for 14 years and has executed a number of office leases over those years. Listen to her describe her journey, and how her business is coping in the world of Covid. 

A well developed workplace strategy is the key foundation to beginning the process of evaluating your office space needs. Interview with Charlotte Timms, Director of Workplace Advisory at Colliers International