Regus now leasing out space in Witwer Building

CEDAR RAPIDS - Regus, an international office rental company, is trying to become known as more than the tenant above White Star Ale House.

'We really expect that this will very soon be ‘Oh yeah, I know where Regus is, and oh yeah, I have people that work there,'” said Jason Hill, general manager of the Regus office in Cedar Rapids. 'And it's great because it's right above White Star.”

The Luxembourg-based company set up an office in February on the second and third floors of the historic Witwer Building in downtown Cedar Rapids, taking over the space previously occupied by the Business Exchange Center.

In the building, Regus has 22,000 square feet of office space and offers furnished offices, boardrooms and video conference rooms to large companies and small start-ups.

Regus, founded in 1989, employs about 10,000 people and operates more than 3,000 business centers in 120 countries.

'We were excited to get into this particular market,” Hill said, noting there has been strong economic growth in the downtown Cedar Rapids area. 'We were excited to be a part of the economic redevelopment.”

Hill said Regus was looking at a few mid-metro markets and was contacted last year by Witwer Building Owner and General Manager Chengjie Huang. Hill said the possibility of moving into a previously set up office space was a good fit for Regus.

Hill said Regus is working to establish its name in the market and hopes clients will appreciate the historic design of the Witwer Building.

'Brand awareness has become our biggest issue,” Hill said.

With its large arched windows, marble siding and high office ceilings, the Witwer Building has a unique history compared to Regus' other offices.

'It definitely adds a lot of depth to the brand that is not necessarily seen in other centers,” Hill said.

Built in 1895, the building originally was used as a post office and a federal building before serving as a grocery store in the 1930s. Before the 2008 flood, the building housed the Witwer Senior Center and Linn County Community Services.

While the first floor of the building was severely damaged by the flood, Huang said the second and third floor remained largely untouched by the floodwaters.

Hill said the company made a point of integrating the historic nature of the building with the demands of a modern workspace by maintaining the marble siding and keeping the wood paneling intact. Regus also plans to install two kitchens - one on each floor - and construct a number of walls to increase the number of offices, Hill said.

'It was important to us to not do damage to the building as much as possible in order to keep that, but still live up to our brand expectations,” Hill said.

Huang, who began renovations on the Witwer Building in 2011, said Regus has strong reputation for having office spaces in central, downtown locations.

Hill said the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance has been a great resource for Regus and the local support from Huang has been appreciated.

Theresa Bornbach, a business support strategist with the alliance, said Regus offers a specific type of work-sharing model that will offer another option to the area's business community.