How an Executive Suite is Developed in Manhattan [Video]

Have you seen an artist create a painting, a drawing or any work of art?

It all starts from an idea that is in the artist’s mind, which then needs to be embodied. When we start seeing the creation, we can’t see anything; we can’t understand what’s on their mind. But later, when a line joins with another, when a color is mixed with another, that’s when it starts taking shape and the work of art is suddenly finished in front our eyes without even realizing.

That’s exactly what we wanted to share with you in this post.

Few of us have the opportunity to see how an executive office suite is created, from scratch. Today, we have the chance to go behind the scenes and see how an office space in Manhattan came from a raw space and became a modern office suite which is now finished and available to rent in NY's Park Avenue.

A wonderful creation that made sure walls wouldn’t interrupt natural light from reaching each corner of the space.

The good news is, you don’t need to run a multimillion dollar company to have an office here. Today’s business world is dominated by small business. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2010, 99% of US employer firms were small business.

That’s why this space is designed to hold multinational companies but also those professionals, entrepreneurs or startups that need a space to work from. This center holds an area called “unOfficing” which is specifically designed for those who “envision working from a large, open-plan, collaborative workspace that recreates the setting of your favorite library, coffee shop or living room…we can promise you a group of professional individuals that dream, create and inspire as individuals and collaboratively”.

Thanks to OfficeLinks for sharing the video, and if you're interested in taking a closer look at this office in New York's Park Avenue, give us a call at (866) 354-5478, we'll be glad to share more details. 

Best Cities For Startups

Best Cities for Start-Ups

Young professionals who are looking to have a tech startup are now looking for the cities that offer most benefits such as available talent from universities, flexible regulation, available office space, low real estate prices and safe neighborhoods to live in. Another factor that also influenced the decision is where venture capital is flowing to. 

A survey from the National Venture Capital Association listed the top 10 cities for tech startups. The NVCA list measures overall venture capital investment in each respective market to compile its data.

10. Chicago, IL: 56 deals adding USD $330.71 million of equity invested and companies like Groupon, Orbitz and cars.com got the city into the ranking.

9. Philadelphia, PA: 61 deals adding USD $140.98 million get Philly into the list. Their most famous companies include Beyond.com, Kenexa and Duck Duck Go.

8. Austin, TX: 64 deals adding USD $475.51 million, sites like RetailMeNot and NetSpend, it’s also home to SXSW, a conference and music festival which also includes emerging technologies.

7. Seattle/Bellevue, WA: 82 deals adding USD $671.43 million. Big companies like Microsoft and Amazon are based in this city, inspiring others like Zillow and Jobster.

6. Washington, DC: 92 deals adding USD $397.00 million in the nation’s capital with companies like iStrategyLabs, Socialtables, TroopID and SmartThings.

5. Los Angeles, CA: 150 deals adding USD $754.88 million. The media and entertainment industries are gladly welcoming new players like Eventup, Usamp or Instacanvas. 

4. Boston, MA: 212 deals adding USD $1,395.90 million, with many of its entrepreneurs coming from its 74 universities like MIT or Harvard University. This is where Facebook started, as well as Kayak, TripAdvisor and Zipcar.

3. New York, NY: 271 deals adding USD $ 1,640.65 million. The city has created regulation meant to attract tech companies and given them all the benefits. Most big companies like Google and Facebook have an office in Manhattan, but other were created in New York, like Tumblr, Etsy and Kickstarter. 

2. San Jose, CA: 327 deals adding USD $ 3,251.12 million. It’s Silicon Valley! Facebook is based here, but hundreds of others have started in San Jose, companies like Hewlett Packard or Google. 

1. San Francisco, CA: 495 deals adding USD $ 4,243.52 million. The city attracts young professionals who want to live and work here. Companies like Craigslist, Twitter and Airbnb started here. The number of deals tells us why San Francisco ranked 1st. A more competitive environment, but willing to invest in good ideas. 

Whether you’ve chosen to base your office in Chicago or San Francisco, make sure your focused on developing your new business, and OfficeList will help you find the ideal office for your startup, call us at (866) 354-5478.

A New Gem Shines in Manhattan

Photos by David Kasnic 

Back in 1941, when the German Nazis invaded Netherlands and Belgium, they forced thousands of Orthodox Jews in the diamond business to move, and they flew all the way to New York. Local diamond dealers were already established in the area between 5th and 6th Avenue, between West 46th and 47th St. This massive arrival of Europeans diamond dealers reinforced the origin of what we know today as the Diamond District.

The Diamond District, an area typically known for its low buildings is welcoming this week a new neighbor: The International Gem Tower.

Developer firm, Extell Development Co. is opening this 34-story building. This $750 million glass and steel tower is equipped with the latest technology, including iris scanners, 350 cameras scattered throughout the building, and tracking technology that notifies security if someone working in the building is in a spot where they don't usually go. All visitors will need to register and have their four finger prints taken at the front desk.

Photo by David Kasnic

The developer is asking $96 a square foot in yearly rent, one of the higher asking rents for the neighborhood. Current tenants include Alca Amit, a courier company for the diamond and gem industry; Eurostar, a global diamond conglomerate and the Gemological Institute of America, which acquired three full floors and nearly 80,000 square feet of space.

Although the building is meant to be for jewelers and related companies, they will also be offering office space that goes from the 21st to the 34th floor. Extells is attempting to lease or sale in bulk to businesses that are not related to jewelry. Might we see any of the big executive suite providers leasing one or various floors in the building? Perhaps, and we certainly hope so, as international companies that wanted to relocate in the area did not have modern options before. The tower is located walking distance to other popular areas of offices in New York, such as Rockefeller Plaza, 5th Avenue and Broadway.

If you need an office near the Diamond district, give us a call at (866) 354-5478. Our team of local experts will advise and suggest the best office for your business.

Top Cities With The Worst Traffic in The US

Photo by Howard Schnapp 

If you’re always complaining about the traffic when going to your office in Los Angeles and thinking how much time you’re losing which could be spent with your family, practicing your favorite hobby or simply sleeping, maybe you're right. INRIX, the traffic information group has released the top 10 cities where traffic caused an average American to lose 38 hours a year sitting in traffic in 2012. But at the 10 cities below, the average time spent in traffic was 42 hours a year! 

10. Boston 

9. Washington DC 

8. Seattle 

7. San Jose 

6. Bridgeport, CT 

5. New York 

4. Austin 

3. San Francisco 

2. Honolulu 

1. Los Angeles 

What should be an eight minute drive in Los Angeles could easily become a 26 minute drive in peak hours. Why? The study takes into account elements such as population density, road segments and travel times. 

Cities like New York and Washington DC have the longest commutes in the country, with 34 minutes. The study shows that cities that are densely populated have the worst traffic. 

Another reason is the amount of people who drive to work is still somewhat high, while New York has one of the lowest percentage, only 56% of the population drive to work, cities like Boston, Washington DC and San Francisco’s are above 70%. 

Public transportation has proved to decrease commuting times in some degree, but in a city like New York where 31% of commuters use public transportation, alternative methods like a bicycle can be tested to try and save some minutes. 

If you’re tired of long commutes and are considering renting an office closer to home, give us a call at (866) 354-5478 and we’ll help you find a space that allows you to spend more time with your family, not in a traffic jam.