One of the easiest ways to find out where the next big round of hiring will happen in any industry is by reading the real estate clippings. If a company moves into a giant new office building, you can expect a ‘help wanted’ sign will soon be adorned on their front stoop. That’s exactly what’s happening with Morningstar.
The Chicago-based investment research firm just inked a 10-year lease at 4 World Trade Center. The firm is trading in its 7,500 square foot Midtown office for the tower’s 48th floor, which is 30,000 square feet.
Morningstar’s Chairman and CEO Joe Mansueto acknowledged in a statement that the move was made so that the firm can bring on more employees. “Moving downtown allows us to double our capacity for staff in New York,” he said.
Likely, the hiring won’t begin in full until mid-2015, when Morningstar plans on making the move. The company has dozens of open positions on its website, but only a handful are in New York. The majority of the openings are at home in Chicago.
If you eventually find yourself in an interview at Morningstar, here are two fairly interesting facts you may want to bring up. Founded in 1984, Morningstar launched rather modestly. Joe Mansueto created the firm out of a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago. Pretty impressive considering the firm currently employees north of 3,500 people. Mansueto still owns more than half of all outstanding shares, though you may not want to bring that up.
Second, the company name. It was reportedly ripped from the last sentence of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. “The sun is but a morning star.”
So research some equities and read up on your Thoreau.
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