The Bottom Line – Press-Telegram

LONG BEACH – Scott Perkins, chief executive officer of DesignFluxx, LLC, knows that image is everything.

Perkins, 21, and Chief Creative Officer Daniel Garibay, 19, make it their business to convey the messages of politicians, Realtors and other clients through their designs.

So when the Apple Valley-based partners wanted to expand their reach to Long Beach, they looked to flexible workplace provider, Regus, which offers everything from use of meeting rooms and administrative staff to private office space in hundreds of locations starting at $100 per month for virtual office services, and ranging up for private and full-time offices.

“My business is all about perception,” said Perkins, who signed a one-year contract with Regus. “It’s about how the client perceives me, especially being young, so I have to exude professionalism. The reason why that concept works for my business is because all I need to do my job is a desk and a computer. It’s very cost-effective, the offices are gorgeous, I don’t have to pay for reception or anything like that. I walk in and everything is set up. There’s no build-out costs. It’s just ready to go.”

A longtime provider of flexible offices throughout the world, Regus will open a 17,000 square-foot flexible working space in the Long Beach Landmark center later this month.

The idea of flexible office space is nothing new to Regus, founded in 1989 and now with 1,200 locations in 550 cities and 95 countries. Regus’ offerings have been used by business owners of startups outgrowing their home offices and by companies such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline and Nokia.

Regus chose the 111 W. Ocean Blvd. location for its business diversity, particularly in trade, technology, hospitality and health care.

“We’ve wanted to be in Long Beach for some time and are excited to be a part of the growing business community,” said Sande Golgart, regional vice president for Regus. “Long Beach is situated along an ideal business corridor, providing easy access to Los Angeles and Orange County. It also serves as a gateway to the global commerce with the second busiest seaport in the U.S.”

The Long Beach location is one of 78 offices with 183 workstations Regus is opening to meet rising demand.

Lance Graville, vice president of sales for Regus’ Western Region, said he is seeing record occupancy in the west with 92 percent, much of that driven by the economy.

“The economy is pushing a lot of people to think differently about how they use office space,” he said. “Everybody is budget-conscious – for big businesses, it’s `How do I cut costs?’ For small businesses, it’s `How do you compete in a global marketplace?’ They can leverage Regus for that.”

karen.robes@presstelegram.com, 562-714-2088, twitter.com/KarenMeeksPT