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Junior Achievement - Volunteer Recognition

2011-2012 Volunteers

The following individuals volunteered in the 2011-2012 academic year, empowering young people in Greater Washington to own their economic success. Individuals with an asterisk by their name volunteered in more than one classroom during the year. Please join us in honoring and thanking all of Junior Achievement's volunteers for their dedication and support!

Angie D OGrady has been volunteering with Junior Achievement since 2011 to the present.

Carr Workplaces to open new center by Farragut North

District-based Carr Workplaces is planning to launch a new center near the Farragut North Metro with more emphasis on co-working than its traditional model, which relied heavily on private offices rather than open seating.

Carr has signed a lease for about 8,900 square feet at 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, a 12-story building co-owned by Penzance Cos. and Dune Real Estate Partners LP. The center is smaller than the typical Carr model, and Carr Chief Operating Officer Angie O'Grady said the idea is built around the changing preferences of office workers and younger professionals in particular.

Preferred Offices adds 3 locations to 5 already here

D.C.-based Preferred Offices is adding three locations in Greater Washington this fall, citing increased demand from businesses that temporarily need a small amount of space.

The company, whose offices are fully furnished and staffed with receptionists, will open locations on Pennsylvania Avenue in the District, on Hampden Lane in Bethesda and on Montgomery Street in Alexandria.

The expansion gives Preferred Offices eight locations in Greater Washington with a total of 561 offices ranging from 100 square feet to 350 square feet. "We're seeing extraordinary demand for space," says company President Angie O'Grady.

C-Span: Politicians and Lobbying

Former Senator Don Nickles and other former members of Congress talked about their decisions to enter the lobbying profession after a career in Congress. Each described their specific experiences, mentioning the desire to stay in almost the same career, making more money, having more family time, and other issues. After their remarks they answered audience members' questions.

GLOBAL WORKSPACE ASSOCIATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION, 2014

A MESSAGE FROM GWA PRESIDENT ANNETTE REIZBURG AND NOMINATION COMMITTEE CHAIR LORI SPIESS

We are pleased to announce that this year four (4) members will appear on the ballot for the four (4) seats that are up for election to the Global Workspace Association (GWA) Board of Directors. Ballots must be postmarked and received by the GWA office by August 13th. The election results will be announced during the Association's annual meeting held on Wednesday, September 11th during the GWA annual Educational Conference, held in Boca Raton.

Terms for each of the seats is for two years, beginning on September 11, 2014 and ending at the annual conference in 2016. The Board oversees the policy, budget and operations of GWA, a non-profit corporation. While we initially did present four candidates for the open At-Large seat to the membership, one candidate has recently withdrawn. That withdrawal occurred after the draft ballot had been mailed to the membership and after the deadline passed for membership additions to the ballot.

Preferred Offices Opens D.C. Serviced Office Location

In an expansion that demonstrates the growth of the executive office suites industry, Preferred Offices has opened its ninth Washington, D.C.-area serviced office center.

Preferred Offices is among the business center companies that is defying the global economic crisis with traditional office space alternatives that serve the needs of entrepreneurs, small businesses and larger companies looking for more efficient office solutions.

Preferred Offices cites falling business confidence levels and general economic uncertainty as drivers toward the adoption of short-term, highly-flexible office space. The company reports double-digit growth in its Washington, D.C. area business centers. Collectively, Preferred centers have seen an increase in demand of 15 percent since December 2007. This growth led Preferred Offices to open the doors to its ninth D.C. metro area center last week. The latest location is in Rosslyn, Virginia.

“We’re encouraged that so many businesses are turning to flexible workplace solutions,” says Angie O’Grady, COO of Preferred Offices. “We provide fully equipped professional offices as a service that can be purchased for whatever duration required, so our clients avoid all of the upfront investment requirements and long-term liabilities that normally go along with setting up and running an office. This is a huge advantage in uncertain times.”

Three Members Expand Their Companies – Preferred Offices; Corporate Office Centers and IZA Business Centers Grow

Congratulations to three OBCAI members who have expanded their companies recently:

Preferred Offices Acquires Synergy Workplaces

Angie O’Grady of Preferred Offices has recently expanded from 9 to 23 locations. After adding a center for a total of ten, the company then acquired New York-based Synergy Workplaces, expanding their presence to eight different markets, including Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, and Southern California. The company will announce a new company name soon.

SELLING POWER MAGAZINE - Pie Slicing

When you start negotiating terms, you’ve reached a critical point in the sale. And you could really screw up big time. Unless you know how to negotiate. Often your negotiation strategy will determine whether you close or walk away with nothing. If you remember one thing about negotiating, it should be this: an objection is a form of negotiation. An objection should not make you quiver like a bowl of jelly. Instead, when you hear an objection, step back, think in terms of give and take, and get into a negotiating frame of mind.

Angie O’Grady is president and chief operating officer of Preferred Offices, which O’Grady calls “a hotel for businesses that need offices or conference rooms to rent by the hour, day, week, or month.” Preferred Offices has eight locations in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and is planning to expand its offerings outside the district. O’Grady has eight people on her sales team, plus a director of sales and marketing.

Some sales are complex and also involve significant values. “One client wanted 22 offices from us for 90 days until they could get their own offices, and we said fine,” O’Grady remembers. “They ended up renting for two years. And we just recently signed a deal with a commercial broker for $175,000.”

Preferred Offices opens Reston facility

Walking into Preferred Offices' new Reston location can produce sensory overload.

Elegantly colored walls, a collection of textures, glass and original artworks all blend with the smell of freshly brewed Starbucks coffee coming from the office's shared meeting room.

Walking into Preferred Offices' new Reston location can produce sensory overload.

Elegantly colored walls, a collection of textures, glass and original artworks all blend with the smell of freshly brewed Starbucks coffee coming from the office's shared meeting room.

Preferred Offices, a Washington-based company owned by realty magnate Oliver Carr, leases temporary and “virtual” office space and services, and has opened its ninth D.C.-area location at 1818 Library Street in Reston Town Center. It will hold a Hollywood-themed grand opening ceremony on Thursday, June 5, to celebrate the new center.

“The office space is set up so that someone can walk in and go to work,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Angie O'Grady. “Our Reston location, as with all our locations, has a point person who makes everything happen for our clients. They take care of all the support services with friendliness and professionalism.”