Posts tagged downtown nashville office space

Jennifer Way had been working out of her house for the past 15 years. Moving into CoLab was a big change, but a change that has been worth it.

Jennifer Way

She moved Way Solutions, founded March 1, 2004, into CoLab in June 2010 after hearing about the new downtown coworking space at The Social Media Club of Nashville. Way Solutions provides HR consulting, including executive search services, for companies and coaching for job seekers. The company has worked with clients of all sizes, from start-ups to major firms such as CareerBuilder, Amazon.com and Microsoft. Jennifer also writes blogs for CareerBuilder on job searching and landing the right post.

CL: How much did you know about the coworking movement before moving into CoLab?
JW: I wouldn’t say too much. It was something I had never considered. I love being virtual, and I didn’t know if it would make sense for me because I travel. That changed when I started doing more local business and becoming more active in the Nashville community.

CL: Are you happier now working here than where you were working before?
JW: Yes. First of all, I think it offers my business a legitimacy that I didn’t have before. It solves all my problems when I have clients from out of town. We have meeting spaces, and I can bring them somewhere. An added bonus: any time I sponsor meetups or community activities, I can have them meet here.

CL: What are some activities that you have hosted at CoLab?
JW: I’ve hosted job seeker receptions, writers meetings, social media technology group functions and participated in lunch and learns.

CL: What do you think about working Downtown?
JW: I love it! I love being in the heart of Nashville and participating in more of the events that go on downtown whether it be the art crawl or music. Everything seems so close and convenient.

CL: How has the location helped your business?
JW: The location has allowed me to expand my network, resources, access to vendors and technology awareness. Working downtown allows me to have more resources at my disposal.

CL: Does it help to be around other professionals?
JW: I’ve found that the spirit of collaboration here really lives up to the name. That doesn’t mean everyone is here all the time or at the same hours. CoLab is flexible in nature. Everyone is really supportive of each other’s businesses —  even businesses that would seem to compete are supportive of one another.

Website: www.waysolutions.com
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CoLab’s mission is not only to create a vibrant, creative community but also open its doors to the larger Nashville community.

So when CoLab’s Nashville Director Kailey Hussey was approached by Firefly Logic to team up to give GiveCamp a home here, she knew it was just the kind of way she wanted to show support in the community.

Microsoft’s Chris Koenig came up with the idea in 2007 to host a weekend-long event where software developers, designers and other skilled volunteers donated their time to help non-profit organizations with work they might not otherwise afford.

“We are a starting place for growing companies, and I think we can be a starting place for non-profits as well,” Hussey says.

Firefly Logic, a local software development company, filled CoLab’s space with nearly 50 volunteers working on projects for 10 different non-profits. Over the course of 48 hours from Jan. 14-16,  the volunteers met with the non-profits, determined what they needed and completed the work. Volunteers designed and renovated websites, edited web content to make it fresh and trained non-profit representatives how to use donor database software. Completing all the work needed was a daunting task, considering the time constraints.

“We were very much trying to prioritize what they were asking for that would have the most impact,” says Ben Henderson, a partner at Firefly Logic. “We had to be realistic about what could be achieved.”

The event was a complete success, and is something CoLab is interested in hosting again next year. “I sat in on the ending presentation where everyone showed off what they had done,” Hussey says. “It seemed like it was a really successful weekend.”

Give Camp was the second such even CoLab has hosted so far ─ In July they hosted a similar event, Designathon ─ and Hussey plans on it being just the beginning. “If we can help someone get their start I am more than happy to be involved in projects like that.”

In fact, one of the non-profit agencies that benefited from the July event, YouthTurns, is based at CoLab Nashville. YouthTurns works with children whose parents are in prison by providing counselors, mentors, educational programs and other support so they don’t repeat the cycle of incarceration.

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