VISANOW Moves Chicago Headquarters

CHICAGO—VISANOW Inc., a leading provider of online immigration services in the US, recently relocated its Chicago headquarters to about 30,000 square feet at 230 W. Monroe St. The move is just one of several that are helping revive this West Loop tower. Hallandale Beach, FL-based Accesso Partners, LLC bought this property, along with the adjacent 200 W. Monroe, just last year, and company officials say they have leased 149,780 square feet to new and existing tenants in the past several months.

August marks the first full month in the 27th and 28th floor offices for VISANOW's more than 130 employees. The company relocated from its former office at 350 N. LaSalle St. in River North.

“We looked at a number of properties, and 230 W. Monroe offered us the ability to not only design beautiful, modern offices that were centrally located for the benefit of our employees, but to take on additional space as the company continues to grow,” Dick Burke, president and chief executive officer of VISANOW, tells GlobeSt.com.

The move comes on the heels of a year of double-digit revenue growth for VISANOW. It expects to quadruple the size of its sales force this year and increase revenue by another 75% in 2015.

"Moving our headquarters is the latest milestone in VISANOW's rapid growth," Burke adds. "We designed this space to be reflective of our business -- transparent and collaborative -- and to ensure the well-being of our employees so they can continue to provide an extraordinary level of service to help individuals grow, businesses succeed and families reconnect."

The firm added several special touches to its new space. Photos of past and current customers are showcased throughout the space, taken by Chicago-based photographer Sandro. And the space has the most up-to-date technology, including standing workstations and Double Robotics "Doubles" that allow users to have a physical presence at the office regardless of their geographic location. The office can accommodate more than 160 employees.

Other companies recently signing leases at 230 Monroe include: Great American Insurance Corp., a specialty property and casualty insurer, which leased 17,645 square feet on the 29th floor; RTI International, a global research organization, renewed its 12,844 square-foot lease on 14th floor; PTDA, a power transmission distribution association, renewed its 3,932 square-foot lease on the 21st floor; Greyrock Capital Group, a banking and finance firm, renewed its 4,800 square-foot lease on the 20th floor; law firm Johnson Blumberg & Associates renewed its 12,463 square-foot lease on the 11th floor; and MicroTek Training Solutions, a meeting and training room provider, has renewed its 14,340 square-foot lease on the building's 5th floor.

“The leasing momentum reinforces our belief that the transportation advantages of a West Loop address has a major appeal to tenants with workforces that commute or, increasingly lives downtown,” says Ariel Bentata, managing partner, investments for Accesso. He notes the two office towers have immediate proximity to the El, suburban commuter trains and bus service. “We're essentially a block away from all three transit modes.”

The West Loop submarket has been a solid performer in the past few years. And in the second quarter it saw 45,000 square feet of positive net absorption, which drove the vacancy rate down to 10.04%, according to NAI Hiffman. “Due to consistent demand, the West Loop submarket remains relatively tight as it continues to maintain one of the lowest vacancy rates of all the submarkets in the CBD,” according to one of the firm's recent reports.