Office Centers gives businesses leasing options based on needs

BROOMFIELD — When owners decide to take their company to the next level, they can face stress over expenses incurred during the transition.

Corporate Office Centers’ Executive Suite Business Centers provide office space and equipment on an hourly, weekly, monthly or permanent basis, allowing businesses the freedom to change how much space they occupy based on the ups and downs of the economy.

In January, Corporate Office Centers opened its 14th location at the Interlocken business park in Broomfield. Amenities include secretarial services, fax and copying machine, broadband Internet access, Web-hosting and design. Catering services for meetings or lunch can be provided for small and large groups. All services and utilities are provided at one flat fee, which eliminates the hassle of paying multiple bills to various companies.

Owners who are prepared to move their businesses to a larger location or upgrade from a home office to a business office can do so without the fear of a long-term lease, said Cheri Ruskus, Business Center manager for the Broomfield Corporate Office Center. Corporate Office Centers will customize a business plan to meet the specific needs of a company on a month-to-month basis.

?It allows a start-up company to start slowly, without taking on huge overhead,? Ruskus said. ?If someone just wants a mailing address and a place to meet clients they can use our facility.?

The newest center offers 92 offices with a total of 27,000 square feet of space.

This includes a large training room that seats 80 people and three conference rooms available for client use. Corporate Office Center customers can request to have their business name on the directory located in the front of the Corporate Office Centers building.

Corporate Office Centers is also a part of the Alliance Business Center Network, which include 285 offices. Any client of Corporate Office Centers has the opportunity to set up a virtual or satellite office from most major cities nationally and internationally.

Pricing is negotiated based on the client’s needs. Packages start at $35 per hour and go up to $1,500 per month. They offer entrepreneur packages starting at $395 per month. Businesses have the option to furnish their own office or rent furniture.

During their start-up phase, Corporate Office Centers are not charging an installation fee for phone lines. The cost of all utilities, janitorial services, use of equipment and rooms is included in the flat fee. Hours of operation for Corporate Office Centers are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Common space is shared with all clients using Corporate Office Centers, including a refrigerator, microwave and television. Businesses that use the facility a few hours each week are made to feel as through it was their own personal office. Because so many different companies are located in the same building, Ruskus said it is easy to network with other businesses and exchange ideas.

Corporate Office Centers is a way for smaller business to increase their business size without the hassles involved with owning or renting an infrastructure.

Bill Hammers, chief operating officer for Schedule Source, used Corporate Office Centers to move from a home office into a business office. Schedule Source provides its clients with the ability to do online scheduling.

?For a small company to face things like telephone services, reception and all of the reconfiguring of an office would leave little time to service customers and is a waste of recourses,? Hammers said. ?It is crucial to us that we focus on our core business, rather than managing an office. That is better outsourced, than trying to staff an office internally.?

Schedule Source currently is working on a data program that would allow customers to book conference rooms at the Corporate Office Centers online at any time. Clients could instantly see if a conference room was available and request equipment, beverages or food for their meeting.

Corporate Office Centers also provides an in-house Internet technology person to set up computers and help with any technical problems.

Texas-based Thad Pittman and Michael Bullington independently own the 14 Corporate Office centers. Corporate Office Centers began in 1992 and has seen its top two competitors, HQ Global and Regis Executive Suites, file for bankruptcy. Ruskus, who said there is opportunity to be found in a down economy, currently has leased 16 offices with daily calls form interested entrepreneurs.

?There was another executive suite company in this space before us,? Ruskus said. ?The offices were available, and we knew it was a good opportunity for us and our clients.?

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