HQ Global offers companies work space, staff, equipment

BROOMFIELD — In uncertain economic times, office outsourcers such as HQ Global Workplaces are getting business from companies looking for short leases and a la carte service.

?People now don’t want to lock into a five- to 10-year contract,? said Michelle Barker, HQ Global’s vice president for the Denver metro region. ?We have contracts as short as three months.?

New York-based HQ Global provides office space, support services, equipment and furnishings for start-ups and established companies worldwide. Technology, consulting, sales, technical support and business development are all industries HQ Global serves, Barker said.

HQ Global has 500 locations worldwide and nine offices in the Denver metro area, including two in Broomfield. In January the company will close its Broomfield office at 370 Interlocken Blvd. but will remain open at 11001 W. 120th Ave. The company found itself with two locations in the then-booming town after a $1 billion merger with Vantas Inc. in June 2000. ?We tried to ride out the market, but it didn’t come to fruition,? Barker said.

Companies use HQ Global for reasons ranging from an hour-long office meeting to a permanent office location. Clients can lease space as needed as they would in a conference center or set up shop indefinitely, using the space like an executive suite.

Part of the reason for HQ Global’s success is that its business-to-business services are basic. ?Companies always need space,? Barker said. ?We provide a turnkey operations solution. We would offer (a company) a receptionist, desktop and graphic visual specialist, plus all the office equipment they would need.?

The cost for a fully furnished office, a phone set, a T1 line and eight hours of conference room use is around $700 per month, though prices can vary depending upon location. Additional services, of course, increase the cost. All of the services are offered a la carte so that companies pay for only what they need. HQ Global also sells package deals ?where we bundle services and offer a discounted rate,? Barker said.

Because HQ Global handles all of the administrative functions, its client companies don’t need to worry about the support staff’s payroll, benefits, unemployment insurance or workers’ compensation insurance.

?That’s the best part of the service: I don’t need to hire a support staff,? said Earl Moses, vice president of consulting services for The Signature Group, a network design and engineering firm in Boulder, and an HQ Global client for nine years. ?The staff is really some of the best I’ve dealt with.?

Sometimes the client company’s time is the most important savings. ?I don’t know (that HQ Global) reduces overhead, but if you have a big mailing project, they can help,? said Doug Freese, greater U.S. sales manager for Avanti Corp., an electronic-design-automation firm in Broomfield. ?It keeps me from having to work until midnight.?

HQ Global serves companies of all sizes. ?We have national accounts that have 15 offices with us, and we have the single entrepreneur that has one office,? Barker said.

Home-based businesses often take advantage of the mail pick-up service and conference rooms to present a professional image. ?The office is fully furnished, so they don’t need any furniture,? Barker said. HQ Global’s workplaces are also equipped with T1 Internet access and telecommunications devices.

Businesses of any size often use conference rooms in remote cities to meet with clients.

?If you need to hold a meeting in any of those areas, you’d call the receptionist at the home office and set the date,? Barker said. ?It eliminates the need to (meet at) Starbucks or a hotel.?

Barker said the worldwide network gives HQ Global an advantage. The Intelligent Office, one competitor, offers 12 nationwide locations, including one in Boulder. No other similar businesses in Boulder offer branch offices outside of the area.

Widespread availability attracted Avanti Corp.13 months ago to start using HQ Global.

?We have sales offices across the country, and if we need to cancel an office in some place, we can transfer it to another place pretty easily,? Freese said.

Barker declined to comment on HQ Global’s revenue; the company is planning expansion in continental Europe, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.

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