Regus, the world's largest provider of flexible office space, has reached a new corner of globe with the opening of its first office center in the Quad-Cities. The company's new Birchwood Fields Offices, located at 4620 E. 53rd St., Davenport, was unveiled Wednesday during a grand opening celebration. The center, which includes 60 office suites of varying sizes available for lease, marks Regus' fifth Iowa office — joining three offices in Des Moines and one in Cedar Rapids. "Regus' mission is to help businesses grow," said Jason Hill, the center's general manager. He said the flexible workspace, which is available for lease for any period of time, is attractive to entrepreneurs who are in the startup mode, small businesses not ready to commit to long-term leases as well as professionals and companies who need space in a new market for a temporary project. Regus clients can rent private or shared office space and have access to a range of amenities in each Regus center, including a conference room, a receptionist, technical support and other business services. "The goal with this new center is to provide companies with a professional space where they can network with their peers, meet with clients and focus on success without worrying about their office needs or long-term agreements," Hill said. The move is part of the company's expansion into mid-sized markets, according to Jeff Twite, area vice president. "On average, we are opening two new centers a day. The Quad-Cities was one of the largest markets we weren't part of," said Twite, whose region includes Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. In addition to office space, each client has access to a board room with video and conferencing technology, a kitchenette, a business lounge and a meeting room. Regus has a network of 3,000 locations in 900 cities and 120 countries. Regus Businessworld members, who pay a $59 monthly membership, can access any of the company's drop-in business lounges worldwide. "Over 2 million people visit a Regus center every day," Hill told a crowd of visitors from the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce as well as city officials and business leaders. While offices are available by the day, week or month, Twite said most tenants are signing on for one or two-year leases. He said rents vary depending on the space. Offices are fully furnished and can be "customized" for each individual client. The Davenport center occupies the second floor of a two-story building that also houses Tippie College of Business' part-time Professional MBA Program, which moved into its dedicated classroom facility earlier this year. The college occupies the ground floor of the building developed by Russell Construction. Jim Russell, the company's founder, credited his daughter Caitlin Russell, who is the company's development manager, with putting together "the very complicated economic development deal" to bring Regus to the Quad-Cities. "Regus is a market leader on a worldwide basis in providing this type of space," he said, adding that there was a void of this office space option in the Quad-Cities. Russell said his company assisted Regus in looking for space in the Quad-Cities to renovate, but when the search came up empty, the concept of the new shared building evolved. "It's challenging to make new space work (for the office concept) because of price," he said. "Most Regus' spaces are not in new construction; they usually re-purpose space." He added that Regus' arrival will add to the synergies in the office park, which now includes a newly opened Dunn Bros. coffee shop. The park also is home to several major office tenants, including Russell's own headquarters and Mississippi Valley Blood Center.
Regus has opened in Birchwood Field Offices, 4620 E 53rd St., Davenport; its first centre in Quad Cities and fifth in Iowa. The centre comprises of 60 office suites of varying sizes. Relevance: The new Quad Cities location brings Regus' year-to-date total of new properties to 34, and its total number of locations worldwide to 2,803.