Oberlin Business Partnership and LaunchHouse Join Forces to open CoWork Oberlin

Oberlin Business Partnership announces the creation of CoWork Oberlin: Powered by LaunchHouse (CWO). The new venture, located at 235 Artino Street, Oberlin, Ohio, is owned and managed by Oberlin Business Partnership (OBP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. OBP is an Ohio Main Street Affiliate and a Chamber of Commerce with the mission to advance and promote sustainable growth and prosperity in the community. A coworking space in Oberlin will support the many entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, and remote workers in Oberlin and surrounding areas of Lorain County who need flexible office space and a collaborative community where their businesses can grow.

CWO came to fruition as an outgrowth of a previous coworking pilot project and has been in the works for over a year. In the planning stage for CWO, OBP reached out to LaunchHouse for assistance with hiring and onboarding the community manager and providing a framework for launching CWO. CWO pays a revenue-dependent fee to LaunchHouse in return for this training and logistical support.

At its Artino Street location, CoWork Oberlin occupies 4,500 usable square feet of space. CWO has small and large private offices (4 currently), an open shared work space, a dedicated alcove for quiet work, a garden café, a separate room for trainings and events, a small conference room, and a large conference room furnished with state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment. The space has the usual amenities expected such as access to printing & copying, business mailboxes, mail supplies, and coffee.

Membership options follow the LaunchHouse model of offering flex membership (full-time coworking in the shared office space), private office space rentals, and a business mailing address for its members. Outside community groups are welcome to rent the training room and conference rooms for meetings and events. In addition, OBP members will receive a 10% discount on CWO memberships.

“CoWork Oberlin is designed to be an inclusive, professional, and enriching coworking community which contributes to a thriving economy in Oberlin and Lorain County. CoWork Oberlin provides affordable event and office space and a vibrant, supportive community for remote workers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses”  Janet Haar, Executive Director, Oberlin Business Partnership

Unique to this location is a lactation room. OBP worked with Lorain County Public Health to create a private space to support breastfeeding after mothers return to work, removing barriers to breastfeeding and demonstrating CWO’s investment in a healthy, thriving community. The private room has a dedicated fridge, chair, small storage shelf, and other amenities to provide comfort.

The official opening party for CoWork Oberlin: Powered by LaunchHouse is Thursday, November 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at CWO located at 235 Artino Street, Oberlin, Ohio. Before November 8, as a part of CoWork Oberlin’s soft opening, interested persons can schedule tours and join CWO at an inaugural discount. For more information, go to www.coworkoberlin.org.

Founding sponsors of CoWork Oberlin include Kevin Flanigan and KRMG Inc., Northwest Bank, the Nordson Corporation Foundation, the Community Foundation of Lorain County, The Nord Family Foundation, and the National Association of College Stores.

This new method of opening coworking spaces represents a shift for the coworking community LaunchHouse. In order to expand, LaunchHouse is looking for communities who have buildings to house a coworking space and the funds to pay for a community manager. In return for a licensing fee and ongoing membership royalties, LaunchHouse provides guidance in getting the coworking space off the ground, offering assistance with the hiring and training of the community manager, providing its coworking software for member management, and ongoing community manager support throughout the partnership. In this instance, Oberlin will be LaunchHouse’s 3^rd location. For more information on bringing a LaunchHouse to your community: www.lh.local/licensing

“If you are someone who cares deeply about the economic development in your city—whether you are a mayor, economic development director, chamber of commerce, college, non-profit, or building owner—LaunchHouse can be that tool that provides a place for entrepreneurs and small businesses to grow. Imagine having another tool to spur the economic growth of your city.” Todd Goldstein, co-founder and CEO of LaunchHouse.

Contact Information:

CoWork Oberlin is a coworking community located at 235 Artino Street, Oberlin, Ohio. It provides flexible coworking, conference rooms, and private offices, for freelancers, remote workers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. It is more than just a coworking space but a place for the entire entrepreneur and small business community to come together.

CoWork Oberlin
Community and Operations Manager
Sara Fisher
440-574-0299
sara.fisher@coworkoberling.org

OBP is an Ohio Main Street Affiliate and a Chamber of Commerce with the mission to advance and promote sustainable growth and prosperity of the community. We are partners – individuals, businesses, and community organizations – working together to create a vibrant, resilient and prosperous community for all who live, learn, play, work, shop and invest in Oberlin.

Oberlin Business Partnership
Executive Director
Janet Haar
(440) 774-6262
director@oberlin.org

LaunchHouse is a network of coworking communities throughout northeast Ohio under a single brand. Over its decade of experience, LaunchHouse has figured out what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to building thriving entrepreneurial communities.

LaunchHouse
Director of Communications
Eddie Rice
(216) 255-3070
eddie@lh.local