Crain’s Breakfast Forum with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will be held at Roosevelt Hotel, located at 45 East 45^th Street (4 miles from OfficeLinks’ Wall Street office, 1.5 miles from OfficeLinks’ Chelsea office, 1.2 miles from OfficeLinks’ Bryant Park office, and 1/3 mile from OfficeLinks’ Grand Central West office) on Thursday, February 16, 8-9:30 am.  Tickets are $75 per person (or $750 for a table of ten) if purchased by February 9, $80 thereafter (or $800 per table of ten). Pre-registration is required to attend this event. To register for this event, click here.

Can’t make it? @crainsnewyork will be tweeting live from the event. Follow #agforum and join the conversation at 8:00 a.m. on the day of the event.

When it came to listing their job entry, the research showed a huge drop – only 36 percent included a job.  “Gen-Y workers are job-hoppers,” said Dan Schawbel of Millennial Branding. “They spend an average of two years at their first jobs, and the average American will have nine jobs between the ages of 18 and 32.” How will this impact the workplace going forward?

According to the study, Gen Y will make up 75 percent of the total workforce by 2025, yet high unemployment in this demographic is going to have a lasting impact on career choices.  Gen Y workers are looking for more flexibility in the workplace and analysts believe it will slowly erode the 9 to 5 work model.  Gen Yers would prefer to start their own businesses or work for smaller companies instead of adhering to stringent corporate cultures of larger, more established companies.

How does your business feel about hiring younger workers?  Given the high quality of experienced workers available, would your company take a chance on a candidate with less experience?

2012 is the year of the Dragon – and it will be celebrated right here in Chicago with a parade that includes marching bands, floats, lions teams, a mystical dragon, and Miss Friendship Ambassador. Parade step-off time is 1 pm. Chinatown will also be featuring other celebratory activities as early as 11:30 am.

2012 also marks the 100^th Anniversary of Chicago’s Chinatown – there’s lots to celebrate!

Come and explore an amazing culture right in the heart of Chicago.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOI!

In late 2011, the Wall Street Journal asked its readers “Is Facebook worth $100 Billion?”  I don’t know the answer to that question but I was intrigued.  The article explains that in a world dominated by social media, Facebook is viewed as the “exhibit A” for consumer engagement.  How can businesses capitalize on this trend?  eShakti, an ecommerce fashion site based at OfficeLinks’ 1440 Broadway location seems to know the key to connecting with its customers.  During my conversation with Carmella Heverin, a fashion executive who has been working for eShakti since September, I learned how eShakti keeps its customers engaged though personalizing its product and keeping the lines of communication open.  Consider the company’s mission statement:

eShakti wants you to look your personal best. We know that you are beautiful, confident and uniquely classic. At eShakti, we offer distinctive design and unparalleled fit. Many of our styles are evocative of the past with feminine details and dressmaker finishes for today’s modern woman. Our clothes come in a wide array of fabrics and colors in sizes 0 through 26, and our custom capabilities allow you to tailor any item to your specific requirements ensuring you a flattering fit.

Carmella Heverin, eShakti fashion executive

eShakti has a somewhat cult-like following.  Carmella described her company’s customers as especially loyal.  When I asker her why she thought this was, she credited the fashion choices and the ability to customize the product.  eShakti’s clothes vastly range in sizes; Carmella remarked that women come in all shapes and sizes but clothing usually does not.  eShakti is the exception and believes in offering plus and missy size women the same fashion options.  Further, customers have the option to customize the clothes, changing a skirt length or a neckline for example.  Customers may also tweak measurements to suit their proportions.

eShakti maintains an intimate relationship with its customers.  There is a seemingly ongoing dialogue via various forms of social media as well as blogging, emailing, and surveying.  Carmella shared that they once had 300 responses in just one day.  Quite an accomplishment!  eShakti understands the needs of women directly from the source and creates garments that make women across the United States feel beautiful.

With social shopping on the rise, eShakti is staged for a great success.  This month the company will re launch its website with an ad campaign featuring a mix of “real” and “professional” models.  They asked their customers first, of course, and by no surprise, received an immediate reaction.

Check out eShakti at www.eshakti.com.

If you picked a “getting in shape” or “live healthier” type of resolution, we found another local place to check out: Pilates Reforming New York, just .2 miles from OfficeLinks’ Bryant Park location.  First class is free and the second class is ½ price.  You know what that means: no excuses!

What’s Pilates?  Only one of the most popular forms of exercise in the US.  Jennifer Aniston credits her svelte figure to it – as does Madonna, Hugh Grant, Jamie Lee Curits, Kate Winslet, Ashley Greene, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and numerous other celebrities.

Developed by Jospeh Pilates, Pilates is a form of exercise that emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement.

Pilates Reforming New York’s Midtown Studio is located on the south side of West 42nd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway. Daily class schedule can be viewed by clicking here.

Remember, no excuses – first class is free!

P.S. Let us know what your resolution is – doesn’t have to be health related! – and how it’s going.

Another indicator moving in the right direction is the national office vacancy rate.  During the last quarter of 2011 the overall office vacancy rate dropped to 17.3 percent from 17.6 percent a year earlier, according to New York-based property research firm, Reis Inc.

Technology companies contributed to the improving numbers in the office market by adding headcount.  This growth helped offset contractions in the government and financial services sectors.  Business capitals like New York and Washington, D. C. had the lowest vacancy rates in the fourth quarter and were well below the national average.

Despite the encouraging news, the office sector still needs years of economic prosperity to help restore pre-recession vacancy figures.  “The U.S. office market is rebounding from a loss in occupied space of 137 million square feet – more than the inventory of office building in Boston – from 2008 to 2010,” said Victor Canalog, head of research and economics and Reis.

The reality is landlords have lost some tenants forever.  A growing number of companies have altered their workplace strategies and are committing less to traditional office space.  Telecommuting, office sharing and third party workplace providers are now viable alternatives to conventional office space.  It will be interesting to see how landlords respond.

Another indicator moving in the right direction is the national office vacancy rate.  During the last quarter of 2011 the overall office vacancy rate dropped to 17.3 percent from 17.6 percent a year earlier, according to New York-based property research firm, Reis Inc.

Technology companies contributed to the improving numbers in the office market by adding headcount.  This growth helped offset contractions in the government and financial services sectors.  Business capitals like New York and Washington, D. C. had the lowest vacancy rates in the fourth quarter and were well below the national average.

Despite the encouraging news, the office sector still needs years of economic prosperity to help restore pre-recession vacancy figures.  “The U.S. office market is rebounding from a loss in occupied space of 137 million square feet – more than the inventory of office building in Boston – from 2008 to 2010,” said Victor Canalog, head of research and economics and Reis.

The reality is landlords have lost some tenants forever.  A growing number of companies have altered their workplace strategies and are committing less to traditional office space.  Telecommuting, office sharing and third party workplace providers are now viable alternatives to conventional office space.  It will be interesting to see how landlords respond.

We know that not everyone can afford (whether time or money) to enroll in college courses.  However, there is another great local resource available for you to take advantage of: Mid-Manhattan Library.

Mid-Manhattan Library is located less than ½ mile from OfficeLinks’ Grand Central West location and offers a number of free classes to help you gain new skills and improve on the ones you already have.  Some upcoming classes include:

Tuesday, January 17

2:30 pm Teach Yourself Using Online Resources

6:30 pm Getting More out of Cloud Storage

Wednesday, January 18

10:30 am Windows Basics

2:30 pm Visual Resources Online

Thursday, January 19

10:30 am Online Scams and Frauds: How to Protect Yourself

2:30 pm Email Attachments

6:30 pm MS Excel 2

Friday, January 20

10:30 am Teach Yourself: Learn a New Language

Classes are offered on an ongoing basis at Mid-Manhattan Library, so we encourage you to check out their website and get over there to learn something new today!

January is the perfect time to audit your workspace, de-clutter and start the new year free of distractions.  Over the course of the past 12 months, we have all collected stuff that slowly begins to transform our workspaces into chaotic piles of periodicals, reports and notes.   A good purge will make you feel better and could boost your productivity as well.  Take the time to shred, electronically file and recycle.  Be sure to recycle paper as well as your mobile devices.

Millions of new technological gadgets were exchanged during the holiday season resulting in millions of obsolete devices.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are approximately 790 million “junk” mobile devices that are ready to be recycled.   However, a low percentage, only 11 percent of these devices make it to a recycling facility.  As an alternative to recycling, old devices can be donated to charities or soldiers in the armed services, which helps reduce the number of devices making it into our landfills.

So as you clean up and get ready to 2012, take a look around and see if you have anything that can be recycled.

Mere steps from OfficeLinks’ Chelsea, New York offices, you’ll find the hot chocolate that “changed the hot chocolate landscape” in1990, when it made it’s debut in New York.  Note, I did not say “hot cocoa” – I said, “hot chocolate.”  There is a reason for that.

At City Bakery, located at 3 West 18^th Street, you can sip on decadent treat: hot chocolate made from pure melted chocolate bars, making the word “cocoa” forever obsolete when talking about this cold weather favorite. One sip and I know you’ll be forever changed.

And mark your calendar now: Every February, The City Bakery hosts an Annual Hot Chocolate Festival, a celebration of a menu of hot chocolate flavors such as Banana Peel Hot Chocolate, Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate, Malted Milk Hot Chocolate, Bourbon Hot Chocolate and Sunken Treasure Hot Chocolate.

City Bakery is part bakery, part cafe, coffee bar and cafeteria, in a two-level space at Union Square, that creates seasonal menus from locally-grown and organic raw materials from the Union Square farmer’s market two blocks away. City Bakery serves world-class breakfast pastry, a salad bar buffet like no other for lunch, soups, sandwiches and specialty pizzas. The bakery is open seven days a week, for breakfast and lunch, late afternoon coffee, chocolate drinks and pastries.

If you haven’t yet experienced real hot chocolate or a Pretzel Croissant, you absolutely must head around the corner a Chelsea gem: The City Bakery.  For more information, click here.