Ladue News (December 28, 2007)

Be Prepared – Highway 40 Construction

By Trish Muyco-Tobin

The dreaded Highway 40 shutdown is less than a week away, but that doesn’t mean time has run out to have a plan for effectively maneuvering your way around town.  Several companies are offering viable options to ease your commute in and around the construction zone, or avoid it altogether.

Many businesses are setting up satellite offices, according to Steve Powell, owner of AMG Corporate Offices in St. Louis.  “We anticipate the I-40 closure is going to be a major plus for us, but this ‘shared office’ concept is really nothing new,” he says.  “Strategically, companies are trying to be where the potential customer base is.  Plus, in a world where gas cost around $3 a gallon, a location convenient for customers and closer to where employees live is a sensible plan.”

AMG offers office spaces in Chesterfield, Creve Coeur and in a new complex in Des Peres.  “Most of our customers are in West County and they want to be able to get around the Highway 40 construction,” Powell says, adding that he has been approached by Fortune 500 companies, major law firms and downtown retailers.  “We’re talking with a  number of companies who want to know how they can set up ‘on-demand offices’ where employees can meet customers and rent space by the hour, or ‘virtual offices’ where someone can work from home but have a corporate address and phone number.”    …..