Colliers International Chicago has decided to stay put in its longtime suburban home, but still plans big changes for the 34K SF office.

The company signed an 11-year lease extension at 6250 North River Road in Rosemont, where it's been a tenant since 2004, and will transform it into a showcase for clients and visitors.

"We haven't done a substantial modernization for the space since the early 2000s," Colliers' Managing Principal and Chicago Market Leader Jim Carris said.

Carris hopes the suburban space will eventually be more than a place to work. He wants to see it build up the firm's brand, much like its 16K SF downtown office. Colliers unveiled that space at 71 South Wacker Drive in late 2018, using it to showcase the latest ideas on office design ever since.

Clients and visitors can see firsthand how plentiful natural light and fresh air, along with a variety of workspace options, makes the office environment more livable and efficient, Carris said.

"In the year before we opened that new office, we only had about 60 to 70 registered guests," Carris said. "But in 2019, we had about 1,000 guests, including clients, philanthropies, people from the Chamber of Commerce, and many others."

In the Rosemont building, which is used by Colliers' capital markets team, industrial brokers, office tenant representatives and others, Colliers plans to ditch some of the perimeter offices, let in natural light, and improve views of nearby O'Hare International Airport, surrounding forest preserves and Chicago's downtown skyline. It will also add a new café and town hall, lighten the interior colors and add stand-up desks.

"That will give it a vibrancy it currently doesn't have," Carris said.

MDC Property Services and Nicola Crosby Real Estate bought the 380K SF 6250 North River Road in 2015, and Colliers is the exclusive leasing agent. Colliers was represented in this transaction by Darryl Silverman and David Florent. The building was represented by Colliers’ Francis Prock and Jon Connor.