A high level of leasing activity has continued at W&H Properties throughout 2008. Thank you to all brokers for giving us an opportunity to compete to satisfy your clients' needs:

• Actimize, a leading provider of transactional risk management software for the financial services industry and a NICE Systems (NASDAQ:NICE) company, leased the entire 23,600-square-foot fifth floor at 1359 Broadway. Tenant representative: Michael Beyda of Benchmark Properties. (See a Q&A with Mr. Beyda).


• Arch Capital Management LLC, an investment firm, leased a portion of the 25th floor at 60 East 42nd Street to house its first New York office. The firm's parent is Samson Investment Company, a large privately held corporation headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that invests in oil and gas exploration, acquisition and production operations in the United States, Canada and the North Sea. Tenant representative: Wayne Van Aken of Grubb & Ellis.


• Barclais USA, an independent company specializing in audit, accounting, tax and transaction services, leased a portion of the 13th floor at 60 East 42nd Street. Tenant representative: Michael Gambino of Cushman & Wakefield.


• Bushell, Sovak, Ozer & Gulmi, a law firm specializing in litigation, leased a portion of the 29th floor at 60 East 42nd Street. Tenant representative: Matthew McBride of CB Richard Ellis.


• Coty Inc., the world's largest fragrance company, leased nearly 90,000 square feet on the entire 14th floor and part of the 15th floor at the Empire State Building. Tenant representatives: Richard Bernstein and Ralph Giordano of Colliers ABR.


• Ellen Tracy, one of the leading fashion firms, leased the entire 32nd and 33rd floors at 1400 Broadway for its headquarters. Tenant representative: William Cohen of Newmark Knight Frank.


• Federal Knitwork, a fashion company, has tripled its space at 1400 Broadway and will move into 13,100 square feet on the 12th floor in the fourth quarter of 2008. Tenant representative: Lance Korman of Newmark Knight Frank.


• Hotel Capital Advisors, Inc., a hotel investment advisory and asset management firm, renewed its ninth-floor premises at 60 East 42nd Street.


• JF Capital Advisors, which specializes in hospitality transactions involving the capital markets and has ownership interests in 21 hotels and three development projects across the United States and Puerto Rico, leased a portion of the 19th floor at 60 East 42nd Street. Tenant representative: Glenn Issacson of CB Richard Ellis.


• Open Space Institute (OSI), a nonprofit organization that protects scenic, natural and historic landscapes, has expanded its own space by more than a third at W&H Properties' 1350 Broadway and now occupies 12,000 square feet on the second floor. Tenant representatives: Steven Jaray and Brian Given of GVA Williams.


• Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, the nation's second oldest mutual life insurance firm, renewed its space on the eighth floor at 60 East 42nd Street.


• Sequoia Financial Services, which provides professional collection services, leased a portion of the 24th floor at 1350 Broadway. Tenant representative: Ross Zimbalist of CB Richard Ellis.


• Skanska, the international Fortune 500 construction giant, leased the entire 32nd floor at the Empire State Building. Tenant representative: Louis Buffalino of CB Richard Ellis.


• UMarketingLLC, which offers a full range of information-based strategic and creative services online and off-line, leased a portion of the eighth floor at 1350 Broadway. Tenant representative: Richard Rosenthal of Grubb & Ellis.