When CoWork Jax opened one year ago, it brought a new concept Downtown — a cooperative work environment and workspace from as little as part-time desk space to as much as a dedicated "Innovation Suite."
Members pay monthly dues plus daily fees only when they use the space.
In addition to a place to set up a laptop, CoWork provides the traditional amenities of an office including Wi-Fi, a copy and fax machine and a kitchen with a microwave and coffee maker. Conference space also is available by appointment.
The user group has grown to more than 100 members, said Community Curator Paige Calvert.
Darren Bounds, one of the developers of "Sports Yapper," an app similar to Facebook or Twitter that allows sports fans to connect with friends while they're all watching a game, developed from idea to implementation at CoWork.
Bounds said the flexible space fit his needs as the venture grew.
"I started at CoWork with desk space, and then moved up to a suite," he said.
Now that sportsyapper.com is up and running, Bounds has moved out of CoWork and into traditional office space at the Jacksonville Bank Building. He still spends time where the business incubated.
"CoWork is an amazing resource. We look for passionate tech people who aren't attracted to the 9-to-5 world. Jacksonville is a very wide area and CoWork lets me stay in touch with a concentration of like-minded people," Bounds said.
CoWork also is the headquarters for the staff and volunteers for One Spark, the April 17-21 crowdsourcing festival for innovators. Calvert said the eight staff members and team of volunteers are scheduled to move next month to the former coffee shop at the Main Library to be near the festival's center at Hemming Plaza.
For more information, visit coworkjax.com and beonespark.com.
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