From crisis to boom: Provider of serviced-offices shows the way ahead

Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If you're looking for an office without the need for heavy initial outlay or maintenance costs, a Jakarta based serviced-office provider may have just the solution.

"As an outsourcing business, we offer everything. That includes the office space and the staff. We help clients save time and money so that they can focus on their main business," Mee Kim, the president of CEO SUITE, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Kim says that most firms want to keep their businesses as light as possible, and do not want to make heavy capital investments as they never know what will happen tomorrow.

CEO established its first serviced-office center in Jakarta amid the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Within a decade, it had extended its network to six Asian countries.

Kim said that when she started the business, things were difficult, but the company managed to survive as it had experienced staff and sufficient resources.

In Jakarta, CEO has around 130 office suites in its two centers, which are located in the Jakarta Stock Exchange Building and the Wisma GKBI building. It currently serves some 300 clients, who enjoy 24-hour access to their rental suites.

Kim said the company would open another center at the new One Pacific Place building in September.

Apart from its Jakarta headquarters, CEO has centers in five other cities in Asia. These are located in the Menara Maxis in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Singapore Land Tower in Singapore; Hong Kong New World Tower in Shanghai, China; Twin Towers in Beijing, China; and the LKG Tower in Makati City, the Philippines.

Each center offers boutique-style, serviced-office suites for individuals and companies, with a variety of sizes on offer, ranging from smaller offices for individual people to large suites for major organizations.

Leasing periods are also flexible, ranging from one hour to an unlimited length of time.

The company charges between $500 and $3,000 a month for its services, which include a "virtual office" service, fully equipped offices, boardrooms, fixed-line communications, wireless internet connection and video conferencing.

It also offers consultancy, recruitment, accounting, legal, concierge, project management, equipment rental and even disaster-recovery services.

CEO serves over 700 clients in the region, 90 percent of whom are transnational corporations, such as ABN Amro, Dell, BMC Software, Coca Cola, and ExxonMobil. (02)