Hello my name is Andrew "Muskie" McKay and I work for Building Opportunities with Business (BOB) Vancouver's local economic development agency working to revitalize the historic inner-city. After a lot of thought and work we hope to offer coworking space for $200 per month at 163 East Pender, starting in late November.
Below is the text of the vision/backgrounder I prepared, we are still finalizing everything but the price is about as low as we can go and hope to break even with a reasonable number of associates: Building Opportunities with Business (BOB) is working on “an inclusive revitalization process for the inner-city that values existing businesses and residents. BOB is a connector, a resource and a facilitator”. Concept: Shared Use of our Main Floor To further our mission we would like to make available to select partners, individuals, and businesses the main floor of 163 East Pender Street. We hope that this open shared work space can contribute to the revitalization of the inner-city by providing a space for creative professionals to flourish, for ideas to peculate, to cross pollinate, for businesses to grow, a place where stuff gets done. What we’re offering is a work surface, be it a desk, a chair, a table, a couch, or the bay window, wherever you’re most comfortable. Of course we’ll offer wi-fi and other niceties such as an electronic white board and a projector to facilitate discussion and creative thinking. There’s a fridge for your food, a microwave, filtered water cooler, and secure storage for your bike. The room will be decorated with ever changing art from inner-city artists and galleries plus historic Chinatown is just outside the door to provide inspiration. Target Audience We’re looking for creative professionals, progressive thinkers, the socially responsible and ecologically conscious who want to be surrounded by others of like mind. Folks who want more than a cubicle and a 9 to 5 and dream of bigger things and a better Vancouver to call home. People who want to support BOB, to see our vision become a reality. Shared Work Environment BOB will offer our partners a clean, safe, productive, professional environment in the heart of Chinatown, filled with kindred spirits, and empower them to make an impact. For Individuals Individuals, known as associates, will have their own electronic fob to come and go as they please Monday to Friday. BOB staff will make the space available and provide support between 9 and 5. The coworking hours are 9 AM until at least 8 PM on weekdays, subject to the availability of an approved caretaker and not withstanding any exclusive event bookings. Our intention is to provide at least eight consecutive hours of access daily. After 5pm a caretaker will be on hand to ensure a professional and productive environment is maintained and the shared workspace is secured fully at the end of the day. 24 hour access and regular weekend hours are not being offered at this time. For Organizations 163 East Pender is also a space to hold gatherings, meetings of ten to twenty can take place around the central table, and larger gatherings of over a hundred have also been successful. Inquire at [email protected] to reserve the main floor for your next AGM or networking event. BOB needs to use the main floor from time to time for our business development seminars, employer breakfasts, and job fairs. Best efforts will be made to schedule these events between 8am-12pm Tuesdays and Thursdays allowing the space to be used Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings by others. Weekend and evening events are also possible and will be examined on a case by case basis. Value Added Services BOB provides to the inner-city community a slate of services for employees, employers, and job seekers. Services that may be of interest to Associates include: • Industry Clusters: BOB has been fostering the growth of five industry clusters including: The Creative Industries Clusters serving the design and artistic community, Green Inner-city Cluster for ecologically progressive organizations, and the ICT Cluster for businesses and individuals in Information and Communication Technology. • Loan Program: BOB provides affordable loan capital to existing inner- city businesses, social enterprises, and individuals wishing to start a business in the neighbourhood. • Social Purchasing: BOB is a long advocate of social purchasing and maintains an online directory of progressive inner-city businesses that we actively promote. We regularly participate in and occasionally host events promoting these businesses. • Expansion & Startup Advice: is available for individuals and businesses alike who wish to expand and grow their firm locally. We work with a network of property owners and real estate professionals and will happily refer you on to your own private office space when the time is right. Proposed Pricing Associate Corporate Non-Profit Monthly Shared Space Access $200 N/A N/A Morning Event M-W-F $200 $300 $200 Evening Event To be negotiated Weekend Event To be negotiated --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
