A JOB letting out parts of the 2.2 million square feet of the Empire State Building (ESB) has been landed by a Malvern man.

Simon Hodges said that when he first visited the building in the 1980s, on a round-the-world backpacking trip, he never dreamed he would end up working on the 32nd floor, in an office overlooking Manhattan.

The 35-year-old, who lived in Malvern all his life until moving to the United States in January, is working for Helmsley-Spear Inc, managing agents for the ESB.

"Basically, I let vacant space and negotiate new leases for existing tenants," he said. "The building offers 2,248,370 square feet of space on 102 floors."

Mr Hodges worked at John Goodwin in Malvern for six years in the 1990s after following in his father's footsteps by entering chartered surveying. His father, Malcolm, practised in the town for more than 40 years, and was a partner with JG Lear and Son in Church Street.

After following his girlfriend, Olive, to the States, Mr Hodges used his experience gained in Malvern and his degree in Valuations and Estate Management to get the job.

He said that although the possibility of an attack on a famous American monument has occurred to him, he still considers it a privilege to work there.

"The thought that the building may be a future terrorist target did not hinder my decision," he said.

"The odds are probably greater that I would get knocked down by a bus."

Mr Hodges said he hasn't forgotten Malvern.

"Other than my family, the thing I miss the most is running on the Malverns and mountain biking in the woods around Ledbury," he said.

"My screensaver is a photograph of the Malverns looking from the Worcestershire Beacon towards the British Camp, just to remind me of home."