Ballston BID Launches Program to Encourage Return to Office
By Keith Loria July 13, 2023 5:47 pm
reprints
The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) is taking matters into its own hands to help get people back to the office — and back to frequenting Ballston businesses.
The group launched the Ballston Business Appreciation Campaign which sets up initiatives with local companies hoping to connect the office population with the city’s small businesses and other nearby amenities.
“Life is full here in Ballston, and we want to be sure our office tenants and their employees take advantage of our exciting, bustling, amenity-rich neighborhood by welcoming them back to the office,” Tina Leone, Ballston BID’s CEO, said in a prepared statement. “This program enables the business to choose which initiatives are best for its employees — whether that is a team breakfast or lunch catered by your favorite Ballston eatery, a unique happy hour or a fully customized wellness event.”
Currently, there are 942 businesses in the neighborhood, including 114 retailers, and the vacancy rate for office properties reached 24 percent earlier this year, according to the BID.
The Ballston BID has worked with five Ballston-based companies in recent months, setting up unique events for each organization. For example, it worked with Ramboll, a global sustainability-focused architecture consultancy at 4245 Fairfax Drive in Arlington, in hosting a back-to-work event complete with a Ballston “Jeopardy” competition, catered lunch and networking by the BID.
“We’re excited to see companies actively engaging with their teams, encouraging them back to the Ballston neighborhood, and we anticipate only seeing more enthusiasm as we enter spring,” Leone said.
The program is slated to run indefinitely.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
