coopblog

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It's Official! NextSpace Acquires The Coop

NextSpace, the coworking community committed to killing the cubicle class, is officially part of our family!

It was announced today (August 13th, 2013) that The Coop was acquired by NextSpace. In addition, NextSpace has raised $500K from Chicago real estate and private equity investment company Lakewest, Inc., local angel investor Jeff Carter, and other new and existing investors. This latest injection of funds brings NextSpace’s total raised to nearly $2.5M since 2008.

Our Coop was founded in 2008 by Sam Rosen and Pat Griffin, motivated by the fast growing community of entrepreneurs and independent consultants in Chicago. Both were intrigued by the opportunity to build one of the city’s first coworking spaces to accommodate this booming group of contingent workers.

“Expanding our NextSpace coworking communities outside of California has been in our growth plans since the start, so when we connected with Sam, Pat and the team at The Coop, we knew that we were a fit from both a cultural and business standpoint,” said Jeremy Neuner, co-founder of NextSpace. “We see Chicago as the innovation economy of the Midwest and can’t wait for the opportunity to provide freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative class professionals the ideal setting to work at their creative, productive, and innovative best.”

According to the Illinois Innovation Index, commissioned by several groups based in Chicago, the number of temporary workers has increased by nearly a third over the past decade. This is a trend that's being felt around the country. A study by Intuit found that an estimated 30% or roughly 42 million workers—are either self-employed or part-time. Conservatively this number is expected to grow to over 40% by the end of the decade. Several factors have set “the office” on a new course to address the new growing demands of the current workforce, which include being untethered, the push for more work/life balance, and utilizing under-utilized real-estate. Taken together, it leads to higher productivity and quality of life, lower costs and a smaller environmental footprint.

In addition, temporary workers are becoming an increasingly important resource for many employers, which NextSpace knows very well. Workers from Plantronics, Google, Yahoo and Cisco are using NextSpace locations across California. And the response from these workers and other independents has enabled the company to add two locations on average every year since the company's founding, making it the fastest growing and largest coworking company worldwide. Just last month, NextSpace expanded to the San Francisco neighborhood of Potrero Hill, and opened the city's only coworking care space that combines shared workspace and child care, appropriately called NextKids.

“NextSpace has exciting expansion plans and they fundamentally understand that community and culture come first,” said Sam Rosen, co-founder of The Coop. “Without any hesitation I can tell you that this is the best thing to ever happen to The Coop and our fantastic little community. We’re thrilled by the eagerness to commit the resources and energy to making the space, culture and community even better.”

NextSpace secured an additional $500K in funding from Chicago area investors, which will be used to increase membership capacity and amenities at The Coop and to identify other expansion opportunities in the Midwest corridor.

“NextSpace understands how to build community. They recognized that Chicago is an up and coming entrepreneurial ecosystem and NextSpace will become one of the building blocks of it,” said Jeff Carter, co-founder of Hyde Park Angels and manager at West Loop Ventures. “The marriage of NextSpace and The Coop was easy because they have the same values, and provide a support system to help members of the space integrate into the broader community. It's really exciting when an established Silicon Valley company makes Chicago their next home.”

Please stop by the office soon to check us out as NextSpace River North!

Some useful links for NextSpace snooping: NextSpace Website: http://www.nextspace.us  Virtual Tour: http://nextspace.us/take-a-tour  NextSpace Events: http://nextspace.us/events

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Teaming up with Turnstone

Drum roll, please! After months of discussing new furniture for The Coop we’ve teamed up with Turnstone to install amazingness to our 230 W. Superior Street location.  

If you're not familiar with Turnstone, let us introduce you - These fine folks are all about partnering with independent businesses to bring Turnstone furnishings to shared and collaborative workspaces. We like them! 

What this delivery means for our current coworkers is upgraded desks, chairs, etc. What it means for non-Members is .... we have a ton of used office furniture for sale now! So if you need a desk or black leather office chair look no further, we got you! Take home a piece of the original Coop by emailing info@coworkchicago.com 

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Soup's on at The Coop!

When we say the soup is on at The Coop, we really mean it!

After hearing about our kitchen coopstruction (and temporary lack of kitchen appliances) Campbell's was lovely enough to send us samples of their new Campbell's GO soups. Please note: these soups are nothing like your grandma's condensed cans!

The soup not only comforted us from Chicago's cold temperatures, but was perfect for our office since we could easily heat up each package in the microwave. 

Our Coopers are all about essentials... Filtered water, creamer for their coffee, and quick simple lunches that don't require leaving the office. So it came as no surprise that Members were eager to taste each of the six bold flavors. We identify our "Coop Approved" favorite flavors just below.

Huge thanks to Campbell's for making sure nobody goes hungry! Give 'em a like on Facebook and like us too, if you don't already!

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Conference Room Rentals

We understand that sometimes you just need a space to meet. 

With that in mind, we're now offering Conference Rooms rentals to non-Coopers for only $100.00/hr (3hr minimum, please). Reserve one of our two cool Conference Rooms for your client meeting, new hire interview, group workshop, team meet  - or whatever! 

Our large TV display monitors are yours to use and we also offer a microphone and camera setup in each room for easy video communications. Seated comfortably we can accomodate groups of 5 - 10 people. ... Still curious? Contact us at info(at)coworkchicago.com for more details on Conference Room rentals. We'd love to have you over!

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Looking forward to Lunchin' & Learning tomorrow!

Don’t forget about our Lunch & Learn w/ CARDOONA tomorrow, January 29th.  We'll gather in the 2nd floor Conference Room from 12:30 - 1:30pm to eat, while Jeff and Colin share the principles they've followed both professionally and personally along their entrepreneurial journey in building Cardoona.  

  Monthly Members, Flex Card Members and even those who've flown The Coop are all invited. 

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#JELLYWEEK 2013

#JELLYWEEK kicks off next Monday and we couldn't be any more excited! Jellyweek is a gathering of people from all around the world that encourages collaboration and coworking. We'll be offering FREE COWORKING all day on Friday, Jan 18th.

We invite you to participate with us in one of our many activities planned throughout the week (see schedule below!). Our Coop goal for Jellyweek is simple: communicate better, collaborate more and create new friendships with each other. 

MONDAY (14th) - Lunch N' Learn w/ Victor Saad of The Leapyear Project 

Over lunch (12:30-1:30pm) Victor Saad our friend, coworker, and the mind behind the Leapyear Project will share his experiences and update us on his Leapyear progress. Bring your own lunch but count on The Coop for jelly donut desserts. 

TUESDAY (15th) - Sip & Socialize at Untitled around 6:00pm 

We're all cooped up together in the office and yet many Flex Members feel like they don't know our Monthly Members, and vice versa! So we've set aside the time to sip drinks and socialize, away from our desks. 

WEDNESDAY (16th) - Coopmunity Coffee Chat!  (8:15 -9:00am)

We've reserved the Conference Room for caffeine and morning chatter on Wednesday. Before taking on the day, join us for a few and catch up with your fellow coworkers!

THURSDAY (17th) - The Business of Freelancing (6:30 - 8:30pm) 

AIGA Chicago & Artisan invite you to a Q+A session with experts from the accounting, investment and legal fields to address the most pressing and practical demands facing freelance professionals. (Sorry, seats are currently sold out!)

FRIDAY (18th) - Beer~O~Clock (4:00pm)  

Let's celebrate Friday with a cheers and quick networking game. Ashley requests that everyone bring (at least) 5 copies of your business cards for sharing. 

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You're invited!

Please join One Design, Desktime and The Coop community tomorrow from 5pm - 8pm to eat, drink and be merry. Complimentary beverages and food will be served - Hope you can make it!

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Lunchin' & Learnin'

About once a month we like to break from the regular work day and get together for a quick Lunch & Learn. Since we all do work that is a little different, and some of us are even considered experts in our field, it's really nice to come together, share knowledge and learn from one another.  

Our next L&L is scheduled for Friday, October 12th, led by Vladimir Andrijevik of One Design Company. In this talk, Vlad will discuss Stripe "a simple, developer-friendly way to accept payments online." 

Accepting payments online can be a complicated affair, so Vlad will go over how payments on the Internet work, the basics of Stripe, and even demo how easy it is to start using Stripe! This L&L is for all audiences, just bring your brain and don't forget your lunch! 

Friday, October 12th Coop Conference Room (2nd fl) 12:30-1:30pm

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We're All In This Together

An Exhibition by Matthew Hoffman

  We're pleased to announce Matthew Hoffman's upcoming exhibition, "We're All In This Together." The show references that (whether we like it or not) we are here in the situation at hand. Instead of disconnected individuals, we have the opportunity to work alongside one another, engage, and create the life (and the resulting community) that we want to see.

  The work itself will consist of methodically hand cut wood and paper pieces with action and dialogue inducing statements. The exhibition at The Coop will delve even deeper into interpersonal conversations, continuing the dialogue of creating an ever changing and adapting community.

Catch a glimpse on opening night, Friday October 19th, from 6:30pm - Midnight at our Coop. 

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Visiting those who've "Flown The Coop"

We call it Flying The Coop. That is, when a well liked coworker leaves us for a new employer, a new opportunity or upgrades to an office space of their own. It is great for them, really it is! But the rest of us here at The Coop can't help but wonder: where are they now? how are they doing? 

Since we're a business that offers workspace for rent, it is the nature of our business that people will come and go as they please. But still, the goodbyes never get easier. 

Remember our friends Danny and Casey, from SociaLink Media, who flew The Coop just recently? They've offered to host us at their new office for a tour and snacks around 6pm next Friday, September 28th! (Please email us at info (at) coworkchicago.com between now and next Friday for the address to SociaLink). After we scope out their new pad we'll move the party over to Joe's Bar located at: 940 West Weed Street, Chicago, IL 60622 (let's say 7pm or so). Feel free to bring friends, bring an Office-Warming gift for Danny and Casey, or just meet up with us later at Joe's Bar for some quality catchup.

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Coop Field Trip: Come to Pilsen with us on Friday

After wrapping up your workday this Friday, September 14th, join us (just a few Coopers) as we head to Pilsen to participate in 2nd Fridays! We’ll be celebrating our fellow coworkers, cuisine, and Pilsen's growing art community. Mexico's independence day anniversary is also this weekend, so expect more festivities than usual in that neighborhood. 

Joss, our gracious Coop Chief, will lead this outing and expects to roll out of The Coop at 6pm. Direct your questions to Joss in person, or at info@coworkchicago.com. We plan to meet up for drinks and dinner around 8pm too at a TBD location - you're invited! 

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Come one, come all!

Tomorrow Jason Early, the founder of gruntmonkey (a small creative studio here in Chicago), will lead us in a Lunch & Learn discussion on "The Three-Headed Monkey: How a distributed focus adds value to your life and your work". 

This L&L will cover how design studios are run and marketed, how they take on clients, produce self-initiated projects and get active in the creative community. We're looking forward to sharing this chat, a few questions, and lunch together tomorrow around 12:30. 

Let us know via info(@)coworkchicago.com if you're attending, since Jason is quite popular and we want to provide enough seating for all. 

See you tomorrow at 12:30  in the Conference Room!

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A while back our friends from Desktime stopped by to shoot The Coop for part of their  video series on coworking. We were delighted to be involved and wanted to share this particular video, since our Coop is in it so much! 

See more Coop in these other Desktime coworking videos, as well as shots from other (amazing) Chicago coworking spaces. 

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#coworkingday

In celebration of World Coworking Day tomorrow we've decided to throw a Flash Coworking Party! If the weather cooperates we'll gather on the rooftop around 4pm. If it rains, we'll just kick it in The Coop together!

Other than socializing with the familiar faces from our space, we'll also provide food for feasting and refreshments. If you haven't been over yet for a tour or free trial-day, or if you are new and curious about coworking in general, we invite you to visit - it'll be a great time to catch a glimpse of coworking and talk with others candidly about their experiences working remotely. 

More awesomeness to look forward to:

1) Non-Members can take a free tour of our Coop anytime, between 9am and 4pm. 

2) We declared Thursday a Free Day, so Flex Members leave your punch-cards at home!

3) Bring yo' business cards! One lucky Cooper will win a free homemade (and hand delivered) breakfast by Joss. 

4) We'll also be collecting business cards for a Coop collage, so better bring a few!

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Eli's Summer Vacation

If you've been to The Coop lately you've probably noticed Eli hasn't been around much. He's been spending the summer out of the office enjoying the weather, the dog beach, joy riding around in the car and soaking up time with the family. Since most of us have been missing him we put together this compilation of Eli's summer so far. Images courtesy of David Rosen. 

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Taking a Ride with Uber

The biggest, loudest and most visited team operating out of our Coop these days is Uber. Over the past year we've watched as Uber Chicago built up their services, expanded their team and developed a well-respected reputation. In fact, just last week the Chicago Sun Times wrote this article on Uber's business model. But what is their business, you ask? Their drive is simple: The second city doesn’t deserve second class transportation. Whether talking business in the Loop, club-hopping in River North, or eating your way through Bucktown, @Uber_Chi is the most convenient and luxurious ride in the city.  And although most passengers still think of this car service as the anti-taxi, here in Chicago they just expanded (exploded?) into the taxi scene. Go Uber! 

"The Coop provides us a great work space to get all our shit done. We get to meet a variety of people working on interesting projects, and the atmosphere and fellow Coopers help us get through our long work day." Said Kenny Tsai of UberCHI. 

But we admit, their rapid growth has been a bit of a challenge on our little coworking casa. We had to devise new ways of accommodating them in our open layout. In an attempt to keep Uber happy, as well as our other Coopers, we relocated their team from a secluded  corner to the largest side of The Coop, previously occupied by One Design Company. So far it seems like a good solution for everyone, well except the Uber drivers who instinctively and immediately still walk to that back corner.

Joss, the Coop's Chief of Happiness, explains that "If we didn't have Uber with us, our days would just be too quiet, we love their energy and the different peeps they bring here."

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Featured Cooper: Carl Boyd

Name:

Mr. Carl Boyd

Day job:

Industrial Design Professor + Founder of Toynbee Carriage Co.

With us since: 

February 2012

status update that best describes Carl:

"Woman just got on train with double-wide, extra-long stroller. I don't ever wanna hear someone complain about my bike again."

Those of us in The Coop have often wondered if Carl is as quiet in the classroom as he is at our place. This soft spoken, coffee-drinking cyclist turns out to be pretty dang good at his design work, too. In May Carl let us in on a bike accessory he'd conceived and began designing while coworking here - he called his creation the Spokebug. This month we touched base with Carl to catchup on his progress.

Q: First off, what's your favorite thing about The Coop? A: I like the people here and the great location. And most importantly, that it's not in my apartment. 

Q: What’d you think of The Coop when you first toured? A: I could get stuff done here! I joined so I could begin work on launching a new design, and develop my first products.

Q: Right. So how's that been going now that you have a place to focus on your own ideas? A: (He laughs)  Well, I launched a 34-day Kickstarter campaign for the Spokebug, which reached full funding in under 5 days!

Q: What?! That's awesome! Tell me more, we want to know everything...  A: The company I started is called Toynbee Carriage Co, and we design products to assist people in the city with the task of carrying goods while on foot, bike or transit. My first product is Spokebug, a clever device that is easy to attach to the front fork of your bike. It engages with a flick of the finger, grabbing a spoke, which prevents the front wheel from moving, thus immobilizing the whole bike.  This allows you to lean it against anything without falling down. You can find out more on our Facebook page, the Toynbee site and on Cool Materials. 

Q: Congrats, Carl we're really impressed. Didn't you film part of your promotional video here, too?  A: I did and thanks again for that. You can watch the video on our Kickstarter page still.