• 09 Jun

    ugly cube

    Steve Jobs is quoted as saying:

    Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

    Does this cube look familiar? Is this really working? Probably not.

    If your workspace looks even remotely like this, you are a prime candidate to enter Charlottesville’s Ugliest Office Contest. We are looking for dim basement offices, make-shift bedroom offices, car trunk offices, unattractive corner offices. Dismal, dimly lit, outdated, disco beads, paper piles, filing cabinets next to litter boxes, velvet curtains, posters…you name it we want to see it!

    It’s easy to enter. Just go to www.getopenspace.com/uglyoffice for details.

    iPadThe prizes are a FREE iPad! Hello to that!

    And a FREE month at OpenSpace for you and 4 colleagues!

    Contest started June 1 and ends June 30.

    Comments: 0

  • 31 May

    Ugly Office

    Attention Charlottesville professionals. Stop what you’re doing and glance around your workspace. Are you in your damp basement? A windowless closet? A grey-paneled cube? Your coffee-stained car? Are you muttering under your breath ‘man my office is ugly’?

    Well, your unglamorous office could make you a grand winner!

    OpenSpace is sponsoring CHARLOTTESVILLE’S UGLIEST OFFICE CONTEST and the prizes are an Apple iPad and a one month Team 5 membership at OpenSpace!

    You could walk away with a FREE iPad and a FREE month at OpenSpace for you and 4 of your colleagues!! All because your office is that ugly!

    All you have to do to enter the contest is come in person to OpenSpace (between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday – Friday) and submit:

    * Your name
    * Your phone number
    * Your email address
    * Your office location (this is optional)
    * 100 words or less stating why your office is “Charlottesville’s Ugliest Office”
    * 3-5 photos of the uninviting office on CD

    OpenSpace. The alternative to ugly.
    We are conveniently located at 455 Second Street SE, in Charlottesville’s growing Warehouse district, just two blocks off the Downtown Mall and right next to ACAC Downtown.

    Entries will be accepted from Tuesday, June 1st through Wednesday, June 30th at 4:59:59 PM ET. The winner will be announced on Thursday, July 1st.

    Official Entry Form

    Official Contest Rules

    Contest Press Release

    Comments: 0

  • 18 Mar

    The Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) has selected OpenSpace as a finalist for The Rocket Award—an honor presented to the enterprise that has moved with noteworthy speed from concept toward commercialization. This could be any size company that has developed a new technology or product in a new business or within an existing business.

    The 12th Annual CBIC Awards Ceremony will take place at Farmington Country Club, on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at 5:15 PM. The Rocket Award, as well as several other awards for local individuals and organizations, will be presented.

    We are soaring with pride!

    Comments: 0

  • 01 Mar

    Check out NBC29’s coverage of OpenSpace:

    “Businesses Cut Costs by Sharing Office Space”

    Many thanks to our members and local entrepreneurs Zach Buckner, CEO and Founder of Retail Relay and Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell, Founder of Joyful Hot TV, for shining in the spotlight and talking the talk.

    Comments: 0

  • 17 Feb

    As we all know, we are experiencing one of the worst economic times in years. Some say, in generations. And microbusinesses—a term referring to firms with fewer than five employees—are being hit with unmerciful force.

    In the current climate, we have record numbers of small businesses on the brink of folding. Workers who feel they have no job security and so less to lose by starting their own business. And an unusually high percentage of unemployed professionals creating start-ups. What used to be risky is now a necessity.

    And these small business owners are asking themselves:

    • How can I cut costs?
    • How can I make money?
    • How can I feel professional when I work in my pajamas at home?

    Can communal work spaces like OpenSpace help businesses survive? Can coworking actually help businesses thrive? We believe they can.

    Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of OpenSpace:

    • Affordable Work Space. There are no steep office leases to sign. You don’t need that lump of capital to rent space.
    • Accountability. You are surrounded by other professionals who are thinking, working, creating. This isn’t an atmosphere for procrastination. There are no pajama wearers here.
    • Networking Opportunities. Gathered together are potential clients, mentors, collaborators. A brainstorming arena if you will.
    • Access to Essential Technology. Wi-Fi is high-speed, AV needs are covered, meetings run smoothly. This is no make-shift office where the microwave is the most advanced equipment in the room.
    • Community. Here you find support, encouragement, and connection. You are not alone. You are not isolated.

    So whether you are a business team of 1 or 5, OpenSpace offers benefits you cannot find at the café, at home, at a remote windowless office. Check out our new Team Plans. We created these pricing plans with your bottom line in mind.

    To read about small business/coworking success stories:
    The Washington Post, Monday February 1, 2010
    Affinity Lab in D.C. offers small and new businesses room to grow

    Comments: 0

  • 24 Jan

    More and more people are choosing to work away from the traditional office. Today’s technology makes this easier by allowing us to stay fully connected almost anywhere we roam.

    This new breed of worker has been lingoed: a “nomad”, the “mobile worker”, or “worker in limbo”.  The word on the street is that about 23% of the U.S. do their jobs outside of the office and this number is on the rise.

    So as people work outside the box, moving around in the real world, they find the freedom exhilarating and motivating. But they also find that working alone can be lonely. We are social creatures after all. Being connected to the Internet does not replace being connected to other human beings.

    That’s where places like OpenSpace come in. We offer the connection, the buzz, the synergy. The atmosphere needed to work independently and a feeling of belonging to a community.

    These “coworking centers” or “limbo pit-stops”, or “creative work environments” are popping up in cities across the nation. They are all a different flavor, depending on the needs and philosophies of the locals. There is Office Nomads in Seattle, Beehive Baltimore in Maryland, BLANKSPACES in L.A., Sandbox Suites in San Francisco, and New Work City in Manhattan–to name a few.

    And the media is getting caught up on the buzz.

    NPR ran the story Co-Working Offers Community To Solo Workers on January 6, 2010.

    CNN ran the story Working in ‘Wi-Fi’ limbo on January 22, 2010.

    If you’re in the Charlottesville area and you haven’t stopped by OpenSpace for a tour, please do. Our staff are kindly, our members are eclectic, and our coffee is hot.

    Comments: 1

  • 17 Nov

    Check out the photos and article posted on cVillain.com:

    OpenSpace Helps Get You Off the Streets

    Comments: 0

  • 01 Oct

    Press Release:

    OpenSpace brings modern, flexible work and meeting space to central Virginia.

    CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, Oct 1 – Beginning October 1, 2009, professionals in the Charlottesville area are invited to use OpenSpace for their work and meeting needs. Located walking distance from the Downtown Mall at 455 2nd Street SE, OpenSpace offers over 6,000 square feet of space designed to accommodate the changing world of work. For those who currently turn their car, home, or neighborhood coffee house into an office, OpenSpace provides a welcome alternative.

    “The world of work is changing. Rapidly evolving technology allows many of us to work from places other than a traditional office environment. Economic uncertainty means that businesses, non-profits, and independent professionals are looking for creative solutions to the financial burden of leasing office space,” said Jeff Gunther, founder of OpenSpace and local parallel entrepreneur. “Charlottesville has a history of welcoming innovation, so we feel fortunate to start here.”

    OpenSpace features collaboration studios, a traditional conference room, expansive worktables, kitchen, and lounge areas to serve the dynamic needs of professionals who need a place to work without the responsibility of a lease. A turn-key solution for workers from many professions, users of OpenSpace will have access to high-speed wireless internet, lockers, mail service, even beverages and snacks.

    Memberships are available on both a pay as you go and monthly subscription basis. Conference and event space is available by the hour. OpenSpace was designed by Bushman Dreyfus Architects and constructed by Martin Horn.

    For rates and sign-up, visit http://getopenspace.com/.
    For more information about OpenSpace, please email hello@getopenspace.com.

    Comments: 1

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