Launched in Arlington, Virginia in 2012, MakeOffices expanded to become the second largest organization offering coworking spaces to startups, entrepreneurs, and established organizations seeking satellite locations. When asked about the competition they face, both locally and nationally, Rahbar spoke candidly about the overall positive effect of having more options available. Although WeWork has the number one spot and doubled their valuation in the past year and new coworking companies are springing up every few months, Rahbar is optimistic about the positive effects each organization plays. For MakeOffices, it’s not just a matter of providing professionals a place to work, but all the community. Community is one of the components the team looked at when decided where to expand, making sure the local market would be a suitable fit. “If you don’t have community you are nothing more than four walls,” said Rahbar.
Growth in Chicago, Philadelphia and DC
The first of their three planned Chicago space will be at River North Point and open its doors on February 1. The space will boast 45,000 square feet of coworking space, and will include 145 private offices, 112 open desks, 11 conference rooms, 10 private call rooms, a 50-person training area, and a 4,500 square foot community hub and event space. The second location, One North State, will take up three floors and 75,000 square feet of space. Details are still being worked out on the third location in Streeterville. The Philadelphia MakeOffices location will open on February 15 in Center City, with the second opening later in the year on Market Street. Combined, the two locations will house just under 100,000 square feet of coworking space.
Glenzer: The New CMO
Prior to joining MakeOffices, Glenzer was most recently CMO of Aquicore (energy and real estate), and prior to that the Vice President of Social Marketing at SocialRadar (technology and community). She can occasionally be found representing the local and national technology world as a commentator for national news outlets, and is heavily involved in Washington DC’s women-in-tech organizations.
