Current state of coworking in Eugene Oregon. General History of coworking. National stats. Local stats. Observations and future directions.

1. Our invisible economic engine
Hiding in plain sight

2.  TAD Talk on Maker Spaces
rehearsal
 “… we have lots of great
resources for folks in the region
like coworking spaces...”
 Feedback
 “…you should remove the tech
jargon regular people don’t
understand like ‘coworking’…”

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking
Co-working is a style of work that involves a
shared working environment, often an office, and
independent activity. Unlike in a typical office
environment, those co-working are usually not
employed by the same organization. Typically it is
attractive to work-at-home professionals,
independent contractors, or people who travel
frequently …

4. Started in SF in 2005
Came to Eugene in 2011
Number of spaces double every year
Currently 700 in the US
5 in Eugene
Co-working lost the dash in 2015

5. National study in 2011
Average age is 35
1/2 are freelancers or founders
1/3 are remote workers
More than half feels sufficiently
financially and socially secure
Local stats are similar
2/3 men vs 1/3 women
4/5 university educated
Most are creative or new
media
40% go without health
insurance

6. http://www.huffingtonpos
t.com/jeff-fermin/11-
incredible-coworking-
statistics-that-will-make-
you-leave-your-
cubicle_b_6466440.html
<< worst
infographic
ever !!!

7. Detractors say “office
space is not an issue”
… they often miss the
social, collaborative, and
informal aspects of the
process. In co-working,
practices are closer to
that of a cooperative,
including a focus on
community rather than
profit.
$$$$

8. A 2007 survey showed
that many employees
worry about feeling
isolated and losing
human interaction if they
were to telecommute.
Roughly a third of both
private and public-sector
workers also reported
that they didn’t want to
stay at home during
work.

9. What differentiates a
coworking space from an
incubator or an accelerator?
Incubators focus on business
development for new
companies.
Accelerators focus on the
program and launching
startups
Coworking caters to established
freelancers, small businesses
and remote workers.
They all provide a shared
experience, collaboration and
access to shared resources

10. ~22,000 square feet of office
space.
The largest is
Mindworks
~150 individual tenants
Fertilab has the most
members *
~94 small business served
~20 freelancers and remote
workers

11. Space Focus Features
Atlantis Coworking Semi-private offices, lounge, hip vibe, location
Bloom Women's business
Incubator
Private offices, conference room, mentoring
CodeChops Coworking Fast fiber, perm & flex desks, regular tech
meetups, waiting list, hosts programs, location
FertiLab Business Incubator,
coworking, Labs
ID8 pre-accelerator program for RAIN, lots of
startup meetups, pitch events, biotech, perks.
Mindworks Business Incubator,
coworking
Flex desk & 27 private offices, largest space,
annual celebration events, monthly women’s
networking, seminars & workshops

12.  Surveys conducted at Mindworks and CodeChops 2016
 Most businesses are growing (75%-100%)
 Jobs are being created (50)
 Location, Location, Location
 Some other nice words:
 Camaraderie
 Chance meetings (random collisions)
 Inspired to work harder
 Collaboration
 Pride

13.  CodeChops has the most accurate data from our anonymous annual
salary survey 12 members surveyed with 80% responding
12 Member combined annual revenue is
$1.5M with 75% originating out-of-area
 ~ same revenue as RAIN Eugene Accelerator serving 31 companies
High-Tech, high-wage jobs

14. Lots of Freelance, Founder &
Remote workers in Eugene
Digital Creatives 2010 tax
reporting W2 corp vs Individual
Folks move to Eugene to live,
bring their work with them.
The Lane County average tech
salary is $74K while
CodeChops average much
higher
W2
Corp Individual
Reporting
Total
individual
W2
Freelancers
& SB Founders
& Remote Workers

15.  "We're in this fascinating time when the definition of work is rapidly
changing, Their methodology hasn't caught up with the reality of the
world.”
 - Ian Siegel, the CEO of ZipRecruiter
 National US Jobs report does not include gigs or project-based income
 14 million or 53 million depending on who you ask
 Bureau of Labor Statistics
 primary job is or primary income comes from self-employment
 Freelancers Union/Upwork
 engaged in supplemental, temporary, project- or contract-based work
 No local data

16. Supports the modern workforce
Supports gig and project based economies
Supports remote workers, founders, freelancers
Supports travelers (understated)
Standard feature of a modern city
Supports community and edicational programs

17. It’s getting too expensive
Not recognized by city planners (yet)
Not factored by labor influencers (yet)
Not woven into the visitor landscape
(yet)

18. We should be actively recruiting folks to Eugene
for lifestyle while supporting remote work
Education and outreach about the benefits of
coworking and the needs of the millennial
workforce to city planners & labor influencers
Promote more public/private partnerships for a
vibrant worker resources
Fiber will help

19. LCC Downtown building “Innovation Hub”
Promote an “Innovation District Alliance” or other
mechanisms for cooperation and cross promotion
painting the entire picture of Eugene’s emerging
Innovation District
Be on the lookout for great locations and teams to
transform them into awesome spaces.
Team up with the city to prep for 2021 Track & Field

20. First floor retail entry that is
welcoming with coffeshop/bar and
community manager.
Event space for 50 people near the
front that is also floater space
during business hours.
The deeper you get into the space
the more “officy” it gets with private
offices, etc.
Plenty of bike parking, showers, etc
Reconfigurable flex space for
hackathons etc.
City subsidized to support economic
development programs.

21. Thank you for your time today!
Always a pleasure to see you my friends!

22.  What about….
 Fertilab Springfield Startup Center?
 RAIN Corvallis and RAIN Eugene?
 NEDCO in Springfield?
 Salem, Florence, etc, etc, etc…
 I only have data on downtown Eugene*
 I think folks grok Cities and States but regions are harder
 Further Reading: If Mayors rules the World