Publications & Sites 
Lake Forest welcomes Regus workspace center
Ann Trandai, right, of Trandai Realty, poses for a photo with former Chicago Bear football coach Mike Ditka during the grand opening for the Regus work-space facility in Lake Forest. Trandai lives in Lake Bluff. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
UP CLOSE
BUSINESS: Regus office center
ADDRESS: 100 S. Saunders Road, Suite 150, Lake Forest
WHAT: Fully equipped, flexible office spaces with a shared receptionist to answer phone calls. Center also has meetings rooms and a videoconferencing center.
MORE INFORMATION: www.regus.com
Article Extras
Updated: October 21, 2012 1:14PM
LAKE FOREST — Kelly Gillum doesn’t need a spacious office to do her job as a headhunter for a recruitment firm based in the United Kingdom.
Nor does her employer across the pond want the capital expense of a stand-alone office to launch its expansion into the U.S. market.
Gillum’s firm was quick to sign on for space at a new Regus workspace center in Lake Forest, after starting out at another Regus center in downtown Chicago. Regus marked its latest opening in Lake Forest with a celebration Sept. 12 featuring special guest Mike Ditka.
Gillum said the center allows her to focus on her job, without worrying about managing an office. The setup also gives her company the flexibility to add space as more employees are hired.
Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible work spaces in various packages — from dedicated offices to co-working spaces, where professionals can plug in a laptop, respond to their emails or transmit a report to corporate headquarters. The company also offers “virtual offices” for entrepreneurs who need only a business address and phone number.
“We can attract the entire spectrum, whether it is a single person wanting to start a new business, or a Fortune 500 company that wants to enter into a new market and establish a presence quickly, without having a lot of capital expense,” said Scott Nelles, market director for the Chicago area.
“What we’ve been seeing a lot of lately are mobile professionals, people who don’t need office space but need a place to ‘office,’” Nelles said.
The Lake Forest center is located in the Landmark Conway Farms office building at 100 S. Saunders Road, off the Route 60 exit on the Tri-State Tollway.
The office center also has a meeting room and a video conferencing facility that can save the expense of air travel. “It’s expensive to get on an airplane for a half-hour meeting,” Nelles said. Clients who do travel on business may use any of the 1,200 Regus facilities based in 95 countries around the world.
Life insurance wholesaler Dan Umanski said when he factored the amenities offered by Regus into the cost equation, “this was an unbelievable deal.”
“To have … charming young ladies at the front desk to greet visitors” is a big plus, he said. “You can spend $35,000 or $40,000 to pay a receptionist. Here, it is all included in the base.”
Ditka’s nonprofit organization, the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, operates out of free space provided by Regus at another location in Northbrook.
