Amata's New Shared Office Space

Shared office space. The old industry is getting a fresh look from Chicago’s booming tech scene, and one firm's new space is designed just for them. (Think video games and custom cocktails.)

Amata Office Centers is opening its sixth shared office space at 150 S Wacker Dr in the West Loop. In a new market for Amata, the 17k SF space is being built to capture the local startup ethos while still appealing to those (attorneys, financial planners) who require more privacy and security, VP Roger Koeppen (above right, snapped with fellow Amata partners Ron Bockstahler and Frank Chalupa at last year's partner retreat to New Orleans), tells us. Ceilings are a mix of lofted and traditional, and there are private team rooms for collaborative work (with flat panel TVs and beverage fridges), snacks can be found at a centrally located café, and there are video games in the lounge (no joke), he says. (It sounds like the bedroom we always dreamed of in high school.)

Shared office can be the next logical step up for small companies that have outgrown some of the city’s wide open incubator spaces, Roger notes. The key is a strong location (this one’s across from Union Station) and updated technology (you need bandwidth for the inevitable March Madness streaming). Amata’s signature amenity: the Cognac Room. Featuring glassware, a wine fridge, and stocked with full liquor decanters, it’s a memorable space where tenants can network, host clients, or just unwind, he says. (Here it is at Amata's 161 N Clark location, above.) The firm plans to get one more location under contract this year, while renovating two of its other offices. Outside of work, Roger’s looking forward to being an empty nester (we won’t tell his kids).