Providing better client service was the main reason behind the decision by CGI, a Montreal-based global management and technology consultancy, to open a permanent office in downtown Hartford. But the global company, which employs nearly 78,000 people across 80 offices worldwide, hopes to reap other benefits from the move, according to Scott Burghoff, CGI’s senior […]
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Providing better client service was the main reason behind the decision by CGI, a Montreal-based global management and technology consultancy, to open a permanent office in downtown Hartford.
But the global company, which employs nearly 78,000 people across 80 offices worldwide, hopes to reap other benefits from the move, according to Scott Burghoff, CGI’s senior vice president of consulting services.
CGI, which celebrated its 45th year in 2021, recently opened an office at 1 American Row, known as the Boat Building, after operating a temporary office in Hartford. The company leased 4,700 square feet for five-and-a-half years.
Burghoff said CGI operates through a client-proximity model that ensures local resources are able to deliver the quick response and local accountability demanded by clients.
“With our local team in Hartford, we will have better access and opportunities to the diverse set of companies that call Hartford home including top insurers, manufacturers, educational institutions and state and local governments,” he said.
Although CGI plans to eventually base almost 200 employees downtown, many will be working on a home/office hybrid schedule and at client sites. Burghoff said he hopes employees find the new downtown location attractive.
“CGI employees look forward to taking advantage of all downtown Hartford has to offer,” he said. “Our new office is located near to restaurants, the Front Street area, downtown events, hiking/biking paths, and museums — and closer to our clients for more opportunities to collaborate.”
At some points during the pandemic, downtown Hartford resembled a ghost town as thousands of workers who usually came into the city each day were working from home, causing restaurants and other businesses to struggle or close from the lack of foot traffic.
But more people are returning to the office at least a few days a week and some companies recently traded their suburban address for one downtown.
Assured Partners recently announced it was expanding its presence to 17,800 square feet in the Gold Building downtown and plans to move additional workers to Hartford from a Rocky Hill location when the new lease takes effect in Feb. 2022.
And Sun Life Financial recently signed a lease for 47,000 square feet, also in the Gold Building, and will leave its Windsor location, bringing 300 employees downtown.
Dan Fishbein, president of Sun Life U.S., said he views the new location as a magnet to draw people into the office and said it will also allow the company to expand its recruitment efforts.
“We were recruiting from only a part of the area but being downtown puts us right in the middle,” Fishbein said. “So now we can recruit from all four directions and not just largely from north of the city.”
Burghoff agreed the downtown location could help CGI attract new talent. CGI joins other global IT companies that have established Hartford offices in recent years, including Infosys, HCL Technologies and GalaxE.Solutions Inc.
“Having an office in downtown Hartford puts us in a great position to attract diverse candidates since the location is accessible to all throughout the greater Hartford region,” Burghoff said. “A downtown location also allows us to partner with and recruit talent from the local and community colleges and universities, like the University of Hartford.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article mispelled CGI's name.
