Schaumburg office complex makes dogged attempt to lure back workers, with a dog park

As the suburban office market continues to fight back against the blow it suffered during the pandemic, Chicago-based Glenstar Properties is challenging the notion that there's no place like home.

The company recently added a dog park for tenants of its three-building, million-square-foot Schaumburg Corporate Center, an amenity it believes is unique among office complexes in the region.

"I have no doubt others are going to copy us," said Bill Saviski, Glenstar managing director of leasing.

Saviski said the dog park was the result of three factors: the company's tradition of innovation, a successful experiment at one of its Dallas properties, and tenant Central Garden & Pet specifically inquiring about the possibility.

Many people who bought dogs while at home during the pandemic have found it difficult to shift back to their previous lifestyle, Saviski said.

"To get them back in the office, you had to give them an option to bring their dogs in," he said.

Glenstar has allowed all 84 tenants of the corporate center, just south of Woodfield Mall and west of Streets of Woodfield, to allow their employees to bring their dogs to work by entering and leaving through the parking garage and freight elevator.

Individual companies have the right to set their own policies for their office spaces, however.

"Whether it works or not with employers getting their employees back, they love the idea," Saviski said. "Who wouldn't want to come into an office where a dog is wagging its tail and making you smile?"

Among those taking advantage is Jordan Dunning, who began commuting from Streamwood with her black Lab-pit bull mix Zoie (pronounced Zoey).

"The second I found out about it, I was in," said Dunning, who was working from home for most of the past three years until starting a new job at Schaumburg Corporate Center three months ago.

"I have to be in the office two out of the five days each week," she said. "It makes it easier to bring her in."

Colleen Cordia of Wheaton began bringing her English cream golden retriever Dixie in for two of her four weekly days in the office as soon as the policy was introduced. Things were more difficult for both her and Dixie before that.

"It was a hard transition after being with us every day," she said of Dixie's reaction to the end of pandemic restrictions. "I think it's a great idea."

Cordia said she believes the concept can work elsewhere, in the right situation with the right company.

Saviski said it may not work for every Glenstar property in the region, but Schaumburg Corporate Center's 43 acres made it a good place to start. He considers Bannockburn Lakes in Bannockburn another site with strong potential.

Glenstar's other steps to make its office spaces more attractive include a renovation of Schaumburg Corporate Center and the addition of a grill to its outdoor space, a Lyft program offering free rides to and from the two train stations nearest each of its properties in the region, and a tenant connection program, Saviski said.

Glenstar Properties Principal Michael Klein wants the younger generation of workers to expect the same kind of amenity-filled spaces in the suburbs that they may experience in Chicago, he said.

Schaumburg Economic Development Director Matt Frank recently characterized the recovery of the office market as the biggest challenge to the local economy and acknowledged Glenstar Properties as a standout for its innovation toward that goal.

Saviski said the company's rate of getting about 60% of its office space actively used again likely makes it a leader in the region.

"By helping our tenants, they're happy to stay," he said.