If you’re in the holiday spirit and want to “window shop” – head over to Macy’s on State Street to check out their spectacular window display.  You can also head inside to see the Great Tree – it’s the 103^rd year that the 45-foot Great Tree will be lit to celebrate the holidays. It will feature 10,000 LED twinkling lights and 1,200 amazing ornaments.

Holidays not your thing? That’s OK – you can join in on Chicago’s winter tradition: ice skating at Millennium Park’s McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.

Located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison Streets, the Millennium Park Ice Rink draws more than 100,000 skaters annually. The rink is open to the public every day of the week and skating is free. (You read right – FREE!) Skate rentals are available for $10. The rink is in its 11^th season and is open until March 11, 2012, weather permitting.

For Ice Rink hours and additional information, click here.

Also, through January 8, a bit further down the road from OfficeLinks’ Chicago offices, the Navy Pier will host Winter Wonderfest. Escape any winter blahs and enjoy rides, lights, and even fireworks! Admission is free (yes – I said it again! Twice in one post: FREE!), but you do need to pay for an Activity Wristband for any rides or attractions.

For Wonderfest hours and additional information, click here.

Chicago is a wonderful place to be around the holidays and during the winter. Get out there and enjoy every second of it!

To show their support for sustainability, landlords have converted some prime real estate space in their buildings into bicycle storage rooms for tenants.  These spaces have emerged at some of the most desirable addresses throughout Manhattan.

At the top of the list is the Empire State Building, which opened an 800-square foot bike room at the base of the building.  The space, which normally could have been rented at a premium, was re-designed to store bikes as part of the building’s $550 million renovation to make it environmentally friendly.

While landlords are losing potential revenue at the ground floor level, they certainly understand they can gain a competitive edge in a market that is focused on green construction.   They have also found that bike storage facilities have become an effective marketing tool for attracting future eco-friendly tenants.

If your building offered a bike room, would you bike to work?

Researchers at Ohio State University and the National Institute of Mental Health studied white-collar workers at a government facility in the central U.S. and found varying levels of stress for workers who were placed in different environments.  After one year, the scientists found that individuals assigned to work in the older office building, rather than the newer renovated space, were significantly more stressed even when they weren’t at work.

Alternatively, a carefully planned, well-equipped workspace does help people focus and can encourage creativity.

At some point, businesses will go through the process of securing office space.  Here are some things to consider before signing a new agreement:

• Location:  What does the address say about your business?
• The building:  Does it enhance your image?
• Space:  Does the layout work for your business?  Can it be adapted as needs change.

Choosing the right office space is not a decision that should be taken lightly.  “Getting the right office space is so important because your business will have to live with it for the life of a lease,” says Paul Kelly, head of marketing for Morgan Lovell, a UK-based company that does office build outs and design.

Today’s businesses are dealing with so much uncertainty that a solid office plan will give them the competitive edge they need.

Vacancy rates have now dropped for four straight quarters and the latest numbers are at their lowest level since 2009.   Could this be a true sign of recovery for Chicago?  Possibly as an uptick in demand from large companies who are expanding continue to acquire more space.  Groupon Inc., United Airlines and Ifbyphone, a tech firm, are just some of the big names that are moving offices into Chicago.  A consequence of this real estate rally is that asking rents are increasing as a result of growing demand.

Of all the space options, Class A space at premier addresses in newer buildings, appear to be the most sought after.  Landlords at these locations seem to have the upper hand for now and are starting to get asking rates without concessions.

The CB Richard Ellis report also points out that Class B vacancy rates for downtown Chicago edged up – a sign that the downtown recovery may not be evenly spread across all types of spaces.

Michael J. Evans, CEO of The Cogent Advisor

After recently speaking with Michael Evans about his company, The Cogent Advisor, it is clear to me that he heeds his own advice.  Michael was a trader for 20 years before starting The Cogent Advisor, based out of OfficeLinks’ Willis Tower location, in 2010.  What made him want to go out on his own?  I asked that very question and the answer is evident: his passion.

Well, there is some back story to his transition.  While trading, Michael was also managing his own money.  One day he lost 44% on a “safe” investment, leading him to become a plaintiff in a class action law suit.  Lesson learned the hard way, he adopted a strategy for avoiding this type of single-holding risk. It also inspired him to become a financial advisor, to help individuals and families avoid making similar mistakes with their own life savings.  His goal in creating his company was to serve clients like himself, to whom he can deeply relate.  The Cogent Advisor helps successful financial professionals make informed decisions with their money to free their wealth for something more – such as giving back to their communities.

Michael’s vision is reflected in his company from the inside out.  The Cogent Advisor is a Registered Investment Advisor firm that operates on a fee-only basis; Michael and his team is not incentivized by percentages of gains nor is he product-based.  This helps ensure that Michael’s interests and his clients’ interests are well aligned and his role is always a fiduciary one.  The Cogent Advisor coordinates a team of experts and design solutions for clients’ unique situations focusing on five key areas including:

1.    Preserving wealth

2.    Minimizing income tax

3.    Preserving legacy

4.    Protecting wealth against liabilities

5.    Making charitable pursuits more meaningful

I found Michael’s long-standing devotion to his work inspirational.  In closing, I think we should all consider some of his final words from our interview. “Get into an industry you are passionate about, believe in what you are doing, and desire to produce the best outcome for yourself and others.  Not only is this a powerful force for success, it’s also more fun.”  To learn more about Michael and The Cogent Advisor, visit thecogentadvisor.com.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently ranked U.S. cities based on the total number of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings present in each city.

According to last month’s report, Chicago ranked first.  Among the buildings that helped boost Chicago to the top of list is Willis Tower, located at 233. S. Wacker Drive, which is home to our Chicago office.

Chicago currently has 223 LEED-certified buildings, far surpassing the next closest markets – Washington, D.C. and New York.  Each of those cities has 146 LEED-certified buildings.  Chicago can’t afford to get complacent.  Both Washington and New York are ramping up development.  Each city has more than 600 buildings in the construction pipeline that have registered for LEED certification.   Right now, Chicago has 516 construction projects underway.

So why does LEED certification and going green matter for prospective office tenants?  First, it can certainly strengthen a business’ corporate image as it demonstrates a commitment to a sustainable workplace with minimal impact on the environment.  Secondly, it also reduces operational costs for a tenant and provides employees with a safer work environment.

Does working in a LEED-certified building matter to you?  Let us know.

Guests enjoy an evening of feasting at the Grande Buffet, where they can feel free to select from a festive array of salads, entrees, side dishes and mouth-watering desserts, and entertainment that varies from solo performances by the serving staff to DJs who are sure to get you up and dancing. 

Upcoming Full Moon Cruises are: Thursday, September 23, 2010, boarding at the Navy Pier, less than 2.5miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago office space location, at 6:30 pm, cruising 7-10 pm.  Cost is $75.90 per person and Saturday, October 23, 2010, boarding at the Navy Pier, just a couple of miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago office location, at 7:45 pm, cruising 8:30-11:30 pm.  Cost is $90.90 per person.

For more information about how you can be a part of the fun and festive Spirit Cruise Full Moon Cruise, filled with vibrant dining, dancing, entertainment, and breathtaking views, click here.

Increasingly, bootstrapping (or personally-financed businesses) is becoming a common path for small business owners at the start-up phase.  More so than in years past, today’s entrepreneurs are focused on how their business will survive on only the capital an owner has pumped into it. As a result, entrepreneurs should be developing business plans that are flexible in order to accommodate monetary constraints and changing market conditions. 

Bootstrapping is not necessarily a bad thing and forces business owners to be realistic in terms of the amount of money they can spend on technology, product development and sales and marketing.  At the onset, office space may be the last thing an entrepreneur worries about and opts for a home-based business.  However, as a business expands, owners need to support their growth strategy with a workplace that is scalable and adaptable.

A shared office environment is often appealing because this workplace option greatly reduces the amount of capital required to conduct business in a productive atmosphere.  They also allow start-ups and entrepreneurs to stay in one location and add space and business services on-demand.

Keep in mind, Bootstrapping doesn’t have to last forever.  Once a small business has a proven performance record, it could be a candidate for financing.  The Small Business Administration can help businesses seeking loans. In addition to the SBA, New York City-based business can also contact New York City’s Department of Small Business Services.

“The slowdown in productivity may be a hint that instead of increasing the work week and bringing in people for more overtime, now may be the time to increase hiring. Working people longer hours may be hindering productivity,” said Michael Strauss, chief economist with Commonfund, a money management firm based in Wilton, Conn.

Another expert suggests businesses start hiring as a way of waking up the economy – an opinion which is undoubtedly shared by the millions of unemployed across the country.  Trimming a company’s workforce was an immediate and easy way of stabilizing a business during the recession.   If/when businesses do expand, they cannot afford to repeat the real estate errors of the past by signing long-term lease office space agreements that may or may not meet their changing business needs.

Companies are going to succeed by creating a workplace plan that aligns with their agile business needs.  

So before bringing on new talent, businesses should consider:  what they will be doing, where they will be working and what is the best ideal environment for them to reach their objectives.   It is only after this process that a company will have a clear vision of what their workplace should encompass.