This is the page for anyone who thinks that Saskatoon deserves a coworking space and is willing to help make it happen.
People
Sign yourself up if you're interested!
- Brian Self (brian - at - nethyv - dot - com): I'd love to join forces with other independent workers to find a common work space. I'm a web developer/professor/podcaster. I came up with the name Net Hyv and started a website for it, nethyv.com.
- Crystal Clarke (crysclarke at gmail dot com): I am a writer and am starting a consulting business. It's a work in progress at this time, but think it would be great to share a space that many independent people could work out of and that my clients could come to.
- Jessica Foster - part of a small team that builds some pretty fantastic online tools.
- Quentin Karmark (qkarmark at gmail dot com) looking to start a SaaS in Saskatoon, and since it will be a tech startup, I could really see the benefits of this coworking space in our city.
Ideas
What would you like a Saskatoon coworking space to look like?
Location
- Downtown or broadway
- Parking
- Close to coffee shops/restaurants
- Downtown would be nice, especially since that's where the majority of hotels are, but really, Saskatoon isn't a very big city.
Atmosphere
- Big open space
- Lots of light
- Comfortable furniture
- Inviting and chic
Equipment provided
- Lounge with couches and comfortable chairs
- Good coffee machine(s)
- Private and day-use desks
- Wi-Fi
- Meeting room with projector
- Non-disposable dishes
- Recycling bins
- data center to physically host servers
Business structure
- For profit (if you want to invest in this, great!)
- Co-op (if no big investors come along, maybe we can do it together)
New vs. Reno
- I've considered the Rumley Building to be a great space for coworking. To my knowledge, there are several vacancies, and there should be the potential to include an office space, considering that's what the building used to be. It's close to two or three hotels and the bus depot, and when the 25th street connection is in place between Idylwyld and 1st Ave, it will soon be an established center among future commercial properties. Of course, there are several other existing properties that could be used.
- Building new would certainly be an entirely different scenario, considering how much planning and expense would be required, but building a new structure around a coworking space would mean that several other businesses would have an opportunity to join as tenants. It could also mean that the highest considerations for environmental construction could be applied. Something like a two storey rammed earth structure would not only be terribly energy efficient, solid-built, and low-toxicity, it would also be the first of its kind in Saskatchewan.