Kemper Corporation Signs Headquarters Lease at Chicago's Aon Center

CHICAGO, March 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the first significant deal since the owner of Aon Center, 601W Companies, began a $25 million renovation, The Telos Group, LLC, the building's marketing agent, today announced that Kemper Corporation has signed a lease of nearly 65,000 square feet of space that encompasses the building's 32nd and 33rd floors.

Kemper, a leading insurance holding company currently headquartered at 1 E. Wacker Drive, its namesake building, will make Aon Center its new corporate headquarters. Matt Pistorio, Caroline Colnon, and Steve Smith with The Telos Group, LLC represented 601W Companies in the transaction. A Cushman & Wakefield tenant representation team including Scott Goldman, Chris Wood, Dan Fisk, and Adam McCostlin represented Kemper in negotiating its headquarters' lease.

Already a skyline fixture as one of Chicago's most iconic buildings, the Aon Center (200 E. Randolph St.), located at the head of Millennium Park in the East Loop, has undergone its first major renovation in more than two decades. 601W Companies took a hospitality-focused approach, resulting in what Telos calls 'living amenities': kinetic, high touch amenities that can evolve over time to provide a deeper, more-meaningful experience. Tenants will enjoy modern lobbies, inviting common areas, and more retail space. In addition, tenants will experience Aon Center's new Cloud Level, where full-service fitness, conferencing, and entertainment space sits at the 70^th floor, creating breathtaking views overlooking Millennium Park and Lake Michigan.

"We are committed to creating a unique and vibrant community within Aon Center with interiors designed to inspire employees and create a better corporate culture," said Colnon, leasing director at The Telos Group.

She added: "We took cues from the hospitality industry in making Aon Center a flexible, service-oriented environment for tenants. It's closer to a luxury hotel than it is to a stuffy office. That's what distinguishes this property from others."

Aon Center's location is both commercially attractive and easily accessible. It is adjacent to Millennium Park, the Art Institute, and world-class shopping and dining, and near the city's underground pedway system and CTA transportation.

Built in 1972, Aon Center was acquired by 601W Companies in 2015, after leasing and transforming the adjacent Prudential Plaza. The latest renovations began in 2017 and are currently underway. As the third tallest building in Chicago, towering 83 stories above Millennium Park, recent conversations have also reignited surrounding potential exterior renovation plans by Aon Center's current owners to build an elevator and observation deck.

About The Telos Group, LLC
The Telos Group, LLC provides leasing, marketing and consulting services in Chicago and Minneapolis and consulting services for real estate businesses nationwide. Telos employs a disciplined and goal driven process to create entrepreneurial solutions customized for each assignment. As Chicago's only dedicated owner representation firm, it has been the leader in shaping the evolution of office space for innovative businesses. Telos represents a portfolio of 28 million square feet encompassing historic to trophy buildings owned by diverse ownership groups, from entrepreneurial investor consortiums to international institutions. In addition to Aon Center the firm has been involved in the City's largest turn-around and redevelopment projects, such as Willis Tower, Prudential Plaza and The Old Main Post Office project. The firm was awarded Office Property Representative of the Year for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 by the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards. To learn more about The Telos Group, LLC, visit www.telosgroupllc.com.

About The 601W Companies
The principals of 601W oversee one of America's leading private real estate acquisition, ownership, development and management portfolios in the country. Over the past 25 years, 601W has acquired substantial and well-known commercial properties throughout the country, aggregating 45 million square feet, with a collective value in excess of $8 billion. In relation to these deals, 601W has raised more than $2 billion in equity, mostly from longstanding investors, and has consummated transactions involving major office buildings, including 12 in Manhattan and 6 in Chicago. Visit www.601wcompanies.com to learn more.

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SOURCE The Telos Group, LLC