Intrax News and Announcements

Summary:  New, larger space will allow Intrax’s San Francisco Center, which offers English language and professional skills programs for international students, room for growth and program expansion.

Intrax, a San Francisco-based educational company devoted to connecting people and cultures, today announced its San Francisco English school will be moving to a new location at 101 Spear Street, Suite 400, in the Rincon Center. Intrax has signed a 12-year lease for the Rincon Center space and will occupy 23,683 square feet in the building.

“We are so pleased with the new, larger space for our Intrax San Francisco Center,” said John Wilhelm, chairman and co-founder of Intrax, a 30-year-old San Francisco company.  “This new location, with its state-of-the-art classroom facilities and larger computer labs will provide our students with the additional educational resources needed for improved language acquisition.”

The Intrax San Francisco Center is an English school that has been offering English language and professional skills programs for international students since 1998.  The Center is currently split between two locations – 551 Sutter Street and 683 Sutter Street.  The new Rincon Center location will allow Intrax to house all of its students in the same building.  The new space can accommodate more than 360 students.

“We’re excited that we’ll soon have all of our San Francisco students together in one centrally-located place,” said Kathryn Whitney, managing director at Intrax.  “We’re certain that our international students will appreciate the Rincon Center’s proximity to the beautiful San Francisco Bay, affordable restaurants, retail outlets, and excellent public transportation options.”

The Rincon Center is located in San Francisco’s financial district, just south of Market Street and within a few blocks of the San Francisco Ferry Building and San Francisco Bay.  The Rincon Center is served by a variety of public transportation, including BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] and multiple city bus lines. 

The Rincon Center was recently purchased by Hudson Pacific Properties Inc.

“We are pleased to welcome Intrax to Rincon Center,” said Victor J. Coleman, chairman and chief executive officer of Hudson Pacific Properties. “With a long history of involvement in San Francisco, Intrax will be a prominent tenant at this landmark complex in the South Financial District.”

Renovations to the new location will begin immediately.  Planned renovations include new classrooms and computer rooms, additional offices, and larger student break areas.  The Intrax Center will move from its current locations to the Rincon Center space in late May or early June 2011.

The Intrax San Francisco Center is one of three educational Centers that Intrax operates in the U.S.  The other Centers are located in Chicago and San Diego.  Intrax’s World Headquarters is located at 600 California Street in San Francisco.

About Intrax
Intrax (www.intraxinc.com) is a globally-oriented company that provides a lifetime of high quality educational, work and volunteer programs that connect people and cultures.  Intrax has operations in more than 100 countries worldwide and offers diverse educational and cultural programs including:  high school exchange, international au pairs, language classes, volunteer opportunities, leadership programs, and work and internship placements.  Since 1980, Intrax has placed more than 250,000 participants in its programs.  Intrax is based in San Francisco, CA, with offices in 13 countries. 
 

In only a few months and with the combined efforts of all of our American centers we have created a central location to connect with Intrax on Facebook. Not only can students past and present connect, but special offers and contests are also hosted on the page. A recent blog contest brought in amazing stories from students – check out our blog page to read the winning entry! It was a great way to see life through the eyes of our international friends! “Like” us at facebook.com/intraxinstitute. Follow us on Twitter @IntraxUSA.

Intrax Canada expanding into inbound and outbound professional development, volunteer,and work-based programs

ILAC, the International Language Academy of Canada, and Intrax Inc., a 30-year-old company devoted to fostering international understanding through cultural exchange and educational programs, today announced that ILAC has purchased Intrax Canada’s ESL center in Vancouver. ILAC will officially assume management of the school as of September 7, 2010.

“We are pleased with ILAC’s purchase of Intrax Canada’s Vancouver ESL school,” said Paul Bydalek, managing director of Intrax Canada. “ILAC’s excellent reputation among ESL schools in Canada ensures current and future students at the school will continue to benefit from the high quality English-language instruction and service they have come to expect.”

Both ILAC and Intrax are working together to ensure a smooth transition for current and prospective students. Scott Simpson, senior operations manager with Intrax Canada, will work closely with ILAC onsite, throughout the transition, to assure a seamless transfer of operations. During the transition period, classes and other programming will continue uninterrupted.

“We believe the purchase of Intrax Canada’s well-respected Vancouver ESL school will make ILAC one of the largest, and best located, language schools in Vancouver,” said Jonathan Kolber, executive director and principal at ILAC. “We’re also excited to work with Intrax’s various cultural exchange programs.”

ILAC’s purchase of the Vancouver school comes in tandem with Intrax Canada’s expansion into a range of work and internship-based programs in key cities across Canada. Intrax Canada will build on the success Intrax has had in the U.S. market and around the world in creating unique and meaningful professional development experiences. Intrax Canada will also provide more opportunities for Canadian students to go abroad, including volunteer experiences, internships and study abroad.

“Demand from abroad for professional experiences in Canada is significant, and we look forward to expanding our offerings to meet these needs,” said Bydalek. “In addition, our outbound programs will provide Canadian university students with more diverse ways to go abroad.”

“Intrax Canada continues to be an important part of Intrax’s global expansion, and we look forward to sharing more information about our new direction in professional development and work-based programs in the months to come,” said Geoff Watson, president of Intrax Cultural Exchange.

About ILAC

ILAC is among the leaders in ESL in Canada, offering premium English language learning experiences in Toronto and Vancouver to students from more than 70 countries. ILAC Toronto opened in 1997, the Vancouver school was opened in 2005, and each has developed into a centre of teaching excellence. Strong academic focus has allowed ILAC to evolve into a leading University placement specialist, helping many students gain admission to degree and diploma programs at more than 25 universities and colleges across Canada. ILAC has won numerous industry awards, most notably the LTM Star English Language School - North America award four consecutive years: 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
 

San Francisco has a number of specialty schools, yet none are more popular than the English language schools that draw international visitors throughout the year. Partially dependent on worldwide economic ups and downs, political woes and currency fluctuations, adult schools offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, reside in their own unique educational niche.

Generally speaking, the summer months see the highest enrollment numbers at English language schools, and San Francisco Bay Area schools are among those...