Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/468967
w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m M a r c h 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 27 I N S I G H T O N INNOVATION B y N i k k i K a l l i o I t's a relatively new concept in the region, but the idea of shared working spaces is providing an alternative to independent, creative entrepreneurs who want something between renting an office and setting up shop in a coffee house. "I really didn't even know much about what coworking spaces were even five years ago," says Jeff Mirkes, executive director of Downtown Green Bay, Inc. But for several years, the city's Broadway district has been home to e Docking Station, owned by Peter Nugent and Dana VanDen Heuvel. "It seems like it's a convenient concept for today's generation of people who maybe don't want to sign a long-term lease on an office space but they still want to be in a setting that's collaborative," Mirkes says. e concept also gives startups a chance to get established in a location and build capital for their own space, Mirkes says. Such spaces also can be for people working out of their homes who "find that they're more productive if they're in a professional setting." In Oshkosh, Colleen Merrill, director of UW-Oshkosh's Small Business Development Center, opened Anytime Workplace on Main Street last summer and sold it to a group of entrepreneurs including Jordan Rhodes, who are currently rebranding the space as e Vault. "We really want to make this more of a community of 'iron sharpening iron,' so that we can all surround Creative places Coworking spaces offer momentum to independent, self-employed workers ourselves with driven entrepreneurs and push each other to succeed," Rhodes wrote in an email. More people are looking into opening similar spaces in the city, says Rob Kleman, senior vice president of economic development at the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce. "It's an excellent tool for startup businesses," Kleman says. Typically these spaces offer varying tiers of membership, allowing entrepreneurs and independent contractors to choose the kind of access that's affordable to them, Kleman says. ese tiers generally include a daily pay-as-you-go option, a monthly fee for shared space or even monthly rental of a private office. Avenue HQ in downtown Appleton has seen growth since its inception in July 2013. "It's great to see a collaborative and creative community exist within the space, especially given the diversity of individuals and companies that call it 'home,' Nathan Litt, project director for Willems Marketing & Events, wrote in an email message. "We think its presence and need for it is a sign of the emerging and developing 'creative economy' here in Appleton and the Fox Cities." Avenue HQ rents space from Willems Marketing & Events, which helped launch the space C O U R T E S Y O F W I L L E M S M A R K E T I N G & E V E N T S Kimberly Hottenstine, an environmental health and safety compliance consultant, and David Kieffer, co-owner of Kieffer Bros., work at Avenue HQ, a coworking space in downtown Appleton. Coworking spaces are growing as more independent workers such as freelancers, consultants, web developers and graphic designers are seeking collaborative spaces to work and create. [continued] »