ISSUE NO. 7 | April 5, 2021 |
|
Dear 555 Community,
Spring is in full blossom and with every passing day we are so thrilled to welcome more people back to our building and to our community. The long winter is over and hope springs eternal.
In this month’s edition of 555 Madison Connects, we celebrate this proverbial spring in our step by examining the fancy footwork of Giuseppe Zanotti in an interview with the fashion brand’s President & CEO Alain Baume. Our employee spotlight provides perspective into Lobby Director Sal Fazzolari’s daily adventures, which also surprisingly includes more steps than you’d think.
We have the latest on building enhancements new for you, a bit of history on how Madison Avenue came to be, and more. We hope you have as much fun reading this edition as we did putting it together for you. Happy spring!
The Management Team
Rodney Corporation
|
Please note: while we send this update to our designated tenant contact, we encourage you to share this newsletter and all issues with your entire staff so we can keep our community connected and informed. |
|
TENANT SPOTLIGHT
A Time to Heel Again
|
Back in the 1990s the celebrated Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti worked for another women’s fashion label, but he dreamed of starting his own. He wanted to be unencumbered in his creative process and to put forth his own vision for beauty and elegance in the form of a high heel shoe. He asked his colleague – Alain Baume – to take a chance with him. The two branched out on their own in 1994 and started to build the Giuseppe Zanotti brand into what it is today – one of the most popular luxury fashion brands with women and men’s shoes, ready-to-wear clothes and accessories.
“At the beginning we were just five people. Today, we have 700 employees around the globe with showrooms in New York and Milan, and a factory on the Adriatic Coast,” explains Baume, who serves as President & CEO. “At the beginning, we didn’t even have our own showroom space. For the shoe shows, we’d book a guest room at the Plaza Hotel and just set up shop right there and host our client meetings.”
Eventually the operation was big enough to demand its own space and they moved to the Crown Building across the street. When that building sold, the company set out to find a new home and they landed at 555 Madison. “There were a lot of options when we were looking a few years ago, but what we really liked about 555 Madison was that it was quaint. There was a single owner, someone we could talk to and have a relationship with. It wasn’t a big corporation. It was right in the area where we needed to be for our fashion clients and business. We’ve been very happy here,” says Baume.
|
|
Today ten employees work in the Zanotti showroom and offices on the 21st floor of 555 Madison. About 80% of the space is utilized as a showroom with the latest product on display, and about 20% of the space is reserved for private offices. They’ve had no problem social distancing in the workplace with that square footage and their client meetings for this latest season have all been virtual. Nonetheless, Baume stressed the need for product to be on hand in the showroom no matter what. Being able to show a client the sculptural beauty of the merchandise -- even if you are showing them it over Zoom -- is essential. That’s how they see the human scale of it. That’s how they see what each piece embodies.
“There are virtual tools that show the product and we have those, but that doesn’t replace having the actual product here. I want to physically show my clients the product. I hold it in my hand, turn it around and describe it. We have models here try on the shoes and walk around the showroom in them. We want our buyers to see what they look like on actual feet. Seeing the product in my hands helps them understand the direction of collection Giuseppe is taking for that season,” says Baume. “Going to the factory in Italy and seeing the product made helps me convey the story to the client.”
Baume and his team just finished up selling the Fall/Winter 2021 Collection and he is happy with their results. Buyers have been very receptive and are preparing to meet a pent-up demand to get dressed up and hit the town. “We all need excitement and people are in that phase of dreaming about going out again in beautiful high heels. Once this is all over, people want to be ready to go out. We keep saying it will be like the Roaring Twenties again and I cannot wait for it.”
|
|
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Sal Fazzolari
|
|
The good morning that greets your day, the good night that marks another work day done. Meet Sal Fazzolari, 555 Madison’s Lobby Director.
Sal has been with the Rodney Corporation for a remarkable 22 years, beginning as a Lobby Guard. According to his Fitbit, Sal logs about 7-8 miles a day worth of steps in that lobby! So, it’s safe to say he knows the territory well. To hear Sal tell it, the lobby is where it all happens, a front row seat to the action, a place where who’s who in New York can be spotted.
“I like working in the front and seeing the action on the street. We are in midtown in the middle of everything. When I started, Sony was a tenant and you’d see the musicians come in. I am a big music fan. You see politicians, artists, city leaders and celebrities come and go. And we make them all feel welcome, just like everyone else who visits and works in 555 Madison Avenue. I posted a picture of me with Whoopi Goldberg on Facebook once and my family in Italy went nuts! I met Michael Andretti and when I saw him later at the racetrack, he remembered me and introduced me to other racers. I almost cried,” says Sal.
But it is not the celebrity or the fanfare that Sal likes best about 555 Madison, it’s the feeling of family and the fact that he is not a part of a corporate real estate machine.
“It is a pleasure to work for the Coates family. Our building has a completely different atmosphere from other buildings. It’s not stuffy or we’re not nameless parts of a corporate operation. This is family run and it makes a difference,” notes Sal.
When he is not working, Sal likes to go professional go-kart racing with his family, or to take in a concert or a Broadway show – both big parts of his life pre-COVID. Once he double booked and had to make the difficult choice between seeing 311 or Hamilton. 311 won out. He is looking forward to when the curtains go up again and is already slated to see Hugh Jackman in The Music Man in 2022.
|
|
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Not A Part Of the Plan
|
Did you know Madison Avenue wasn’t in the original grid plan for New York City? The original plan was designed in 1807 and approved in 1811.
On the map on the left, you’ll see Park Avenue (formerly Fourth) and Fifth Avenue, but no Madison Avenue. Just like Lexington Avenue, Madison Avenue was added in after. The state legislature approved the insertion of Madison Avenue from 23rd to 42nd Street in 1833.
A lawyer and real estate developer named Samuel Ruggles advocated for the creation of Madison Avenue. Ruggles wanted an avenue that ran north-south to service a development he was working on: Madison Square Park, which opened in 1847.
The original stretch of Madison Avenue opened in 1844. It was extended to 66th Street in 1857. It was then extended to the north end of the island in 1869.
|
|
BUILDING NEWS
Enhancements & Protocols
|
|
Elevator Cab Replacements: Our elevator upgrade project continues. Now that the Destination Dispatch System is up and running, we’ve moved onto replacing the individual elevator cabs. The upgrade will feature a fresh, new look and will also deliver a smooth and efficient ride. The first cab will be installed by the end of May and we’ll work our way one-by-one through each elevator bank with the goal of completing the project by the end of 2022 or Q1 2023.
COVID Protocols: Please do your part to keep us all safe. Practice social distancing, wear a mask and adhere to all building protocols including our elevator limits. Please let your visitors know in advance that our building has strict COVID protocols. Please share our COVID protocols with visitors in advance. Here is a link: https://www.555madison.com/covid-19.
|
|
New Elevator Cabs Are Coming |
|
Keep Safe With Our COVID Protocols |
|
AVAILABLE SPACE AT 555
In response to COVID, we are working with tenants to offer flexible, built-out space as needed on a short-term basis to help accommodate social distancing needs in the workplace. This could be a few private offices or an entire unit. Tell us what you need and we are happy to help.
Need more permanent space? Here’s what’s available:
11th Floor
7,888 RSF, Pre-built D – Available Immediately
14th Floor
5,031 RSF, Furnished Pre-built – Available Immediately
19th floor
9,733 RSF, Full-floor white box – Available Immediately
If you are interested in any of our available spaces or if you would like us to keep you in mind for future openings, please give us a call. We’re always happy to chat!
|
|
Ask Aleisa
You have questions. Aleisa has answers.
|
Write to Aleisa for guidance on any concern you have or anything you are simply curious about related to 555 Madison. Write to Aleisa Sulaman with the subject line: Ask Aleisa at aleisa.sulaman@rodneycorporation.com.
|
|
More people are commuting on the subways and the weather is getting nicer. I am thinking I will begin biking to work. Can I still reserve a spot in the bike room? Are there spaces left? Do I need a key?
Sincerely,
Fair Weather Rider
Dear Fair Weather Rider,
Our bike room is open to all tenants. There are no reserved spots but accommodating all tenants has not been a problem. Anyone looking for access to the bike room simply needs to email me to add clearance to their building card to enter through the service entrance on 56th Street.
Best,
Aleisa
|
|
|
NEWS TIPS: We also are eager to hear and share your news. Please send story tips and news items about your company and employees for consideration for this newsletter to: newsletter@rodneycorporation.com. Thank you!
|
|
Thank you for reading our newsletter!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
