coworkers
The coworking center will not be in the business of renting office space, but will provide membership-based access to workspace, meeting rooms, Internet, office equipment, a kitchen and unlimited coffee. Members will also have access to events and workshops focused on entrepreneurial skill and knowledge building, as well as live social networking events.
With self-employment and freelance gigs on the rise, advances in technology have changed the way people work. “We're no longer confined to working at home,” says Toni Hogan, entrepreneur and co-founder of The Office Connexion. “We can take our laptops and cell phones, find a wifi hotspot and get to work.”
The coworking center will be easily accessible to those in the Greenspoint District, Champions, Willowbrook and the FM 1960 areas. But, coworkers have been known to commute as far as 22 miles to work at coworking centers around the country. Membership plans are designed to fit most budgets and needs, starting at as low as $50 a month.
Coworking is not a new phenomenon and it is growing rapidly, from just over 300 centers around the world two years ago to nearly 800 today and growing. Inspired by coworking centers like New Work City in New York, Philadelphia's Indy Hall, and BLANKSPACES in LA, The Office Connexion will be the newest of a handful of coworking centers in the Houston area.
But coworking isn't just about space, it's about community, collaboration and innovation. Jerome Chang of BLANKSPACES in Los Angeles shared, “I cannot be any happier than knowing that entrepreneurs and freelancers have found BLANKSPACES to be a great resource for their ambitions. So much so, that Science Media, an incubator led by Mike Jones (former CEO of MySpace), spent 3 months here simply because we gave them "good luck" when his previous start-up was here 3 years ago.”
Fernell Hogan, co-founder, says “The Office Connexion will go a step beyond traditional coworking to provide resources for community business development. We want to reach would-be entrepreneurs who have an awesome idea, but might not have otherwise acted upon it had we not brought the center to the community.” The Office Connexion has reached out to community organizations whose mission and principles align with the vision of the founders. They want to bring access to more training and funding resources to the communities where their members live.
The Office Connexion is planning to launch in June. The founders hope the community will embrace and support the vision. “This center is not just for adults, we plan to have programs for youth that will help develop future leaders and business owners,” said the Hogans. “We've launched a campaign on Indiegogo.com to allow the community to show financial support and gain a sense of ownership for something great in their own backyards.”
For more information contact Toni Hogan or visit http://www.theofficeconnexion.com.
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About The Office Connexion
The Office Connexion is a shared working environment of independent professionals who share a set of core values and synergies with other professionals. We're a membership-based coworking community providing members access to the workspace, internet, conference rooms, printers, copiers, kitchen, and coffee.
The intangible benefits of coworking are the ability to build relationships in a community environment that foster collaboration, innovation, and creativity. Members will have access to professional and personal development workshops, as well as social networking opportunities.
Our vision is to create a community environment that is conducive to collaboration, brainstorming and group problem solving. To inspire entrepreneurship, promote business development and incubate innovative ideas through to manifestation. To create a community of coworkers who share a common set of core values.
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