One Building, Countless Paychecks

The Pru’s a top-tier office tower in Boston’s second most expensive rental neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean its 5,000 or so workers are paid better than those elsewhere. Gayla Hensley, managing director of the Mergis Group, a division of the Spherion headhunting firm on the 14th floor, says the jobs she fills in the Pru pay $35,000 to $200,000. “There’s such a mix here,” she says. “There’s small insurance brokers-—I know they’re not paying entry-level people a lot. But right down the hall you could have Sun Life Financial; they’re selling some bigtime worker’s comp policies, and everyone’s making a lot of money. It really depends.” A selection of the Pru’s more interesting earners:

THE PERK GAP

Talbots attracts workers like DeAngelo with a generous-sounding perk: 40 percent off all merchandise. But company chairman Arnold Zetcher (salary: $1,197,792), who works out of Talbots’s Hingham HQ, gets far more than a discounted sweater—like, say, a home security system, a free health plan (no copay!), a new car every two years, and unfettered use of the company jet.

THE SUPERS

Boston Properties, which has owned the $519 million tower since 1998, is no longer an absentee landlord: Earlier this year, it moved from 111 Huntington into some Pru space previously occupied by the ad firm Digitas. The company’s remaining $263 million mortgage comes due next July.

 

Basement

Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Experienced branch manager
$70,000

Prudential Parking Garage
Cashier
$8/hour

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Joanne Butler, Green Line train operator
$47,424

Floor 1

Saint Francis Chapel
Father John Wykes, director
$0

Shops at the Prudential Center
Steve Edmond, security guard
$30,000

Levenger
Kimberly King, sales representative
$18,000

Boston Duck Tours
Arthur Halvorsen, guest service representative
$10/hour

California Pizza Kitchen
Tara Sloman, counter server
$35,000

Jasmine Sola
Violet Dennison, sales associate
$7.50/hour plus 2 percent commission

Fitcorp
Experienced trainer
$65,000

Talbots Men’s
Jenna DeAngelo, sales associate
$10/hour

Floor 4

Directorship
Magazine for corporate board members
Associate editor
$40,000

Fenway Community Health
Development officer
$75,000

Floor 11

Partners Healthcare
James J. Mongan, CEO and president
$1,341,650 base; $1,960,000 total

Floor 14

Spherion
Recruiting and staffing service
Corporate headhunter
$35,000

Go on to the next page to find out how much the CEO of Boston Properties earns...