14-Dec-14 – Another sign of Chicago’s tourism industry doing well – Wendella Sightseeing Company will nearly triple its office space when it moves into Wrigley Building in early February.

Wendella was one of four new tenants announced recently by Wrigley Building. The company will lease 6,919 square feet in Wrigley’s south tower. It is an entire floor down from street level and just over the Chicago River.

15 full time employees will work at Wrigley along with seasonal employees. The space will include a training facility custom built for Wendella, which operates five tour boats and four water taxis.

Company president Michael Borgstrom says the space, between their main dock on the south side of Wrigley Building and another dock at Trump International Hotel & Tower, is “tailor made” for Wendella.

“We’ve always wanted to be in the Wrigley Building but it was always too pricey,” he says. “The space that we’re using…it was actually used by the engineers for the building. It wasn’t really offices. We’re getting a really good deal to be in the building. I don’t care what floor I’m on or what my view is. My view is the river and our operation so it’s ideal for us.”

Wendella’s offices have been at River Plaza on North Wabash Avenue for ten years. The company started in a studio apartment, then moved to a one-bedroom apartment, and then to a 2,500 square foot office.

(Above) A wall at Wendella’s headquarters at River Plaza.

“The company has grown tremendously in the last ten years. We actually outgrew these offices a lot quicker than I thought we would.”

Also signing leases at Wrigley were Tapad, an advertising and marketing firm that collects consumer behavior data, TelAmerica Media, a broadcast media firm, and Willoughby Engineering, a building design and engineering company.

Wrigley Building is owned by a group of investors that includes Zeller Realty Group, which is the building’s property manager and leasing agent. $70 million was spent renovating the 90-year-old building in 2013. It has been an official City of Chicago Landmark since 2012.