Bright Cowork: Ultimate Workplace

Recently an innovative, new-media-savvy guy named Corey Brown, COO of Squidoo contacted me about possibly turning a portion of Bright Center into coworking space. His reasoning was this: There are a lot of people out there who are simply tired of working all by themselves and need a fun, collaborative space to do their work at least a few days a week.

A few years ago, the dream of most creatives and professionals was "to work at home" to avoid commuting and to have more control of time. Companies anxious to reduce overhead and attract the best and brightest allowed many of us to do so. For awhile it was great; but after a while, many "hit a wall" and productivity and motivation plummeted. I think our craving for Place is the reason many sought to work from home originally and, ironically, it's why many telecommuters are hitting the wall now. We ran away from the featureless, cubicle-filled no-places to our home offices which typically cannot provide the personal, face-to-face connection to colleagues and coworkers that inspires and energizes.

Bright Cowork will be unlike "telework spaces," which typically are fluorescent-lit, cubicle farms. In the style of Bright Center, it will be open, bright collaborative space with blazing internet connectivity, and great coffee. It will be a place to talk, meet, share, collaborate, grow, and innovate. It will also be affordable to those who only want a desk and shared meeting space rather than the overhead and hassle of a full office. Best of all it will be a real Place that provides the connection to Old Town Winchester and other creatives and professionals who share common interests.