Before starting Industrious Jamie Hodari – cofounder and coCEO; Emma Dively – Community Manager; and Justin Stewart – cofounder and coCEO were running looking for a coworking space that fit their various needs. However, they couldn’t find anything that totally matched what they needed, finding that the options available were a bit too ‘backpack and flip-flop’ for their tastes. Their dream was to try and push forward a product that incorporated both elements of the corporate suite and the coworking space. So, they launched the first Industrious space in Chicago, which was initially supposed to be a side project: it took off beyond their wildest imaginings. That was when they realized they needed to quit their day jobs and roll this project out nationally. But it begged the question: what’s the first set of cities that should get to enjoy new Industrious locations? Industrious takes on a much bigger meaning when you consider that angle. This is something that excites a city like St. Louis, where people are giving up life in the suburbs to move into a downtown, communal setting: that’s broadly appealing. Every company that works out of Industrious will have their own private office on an open, floor plan. That way everybody will get the chance to meet everybody else, but there’s still an element of privacy. The offices themselves will be constructed completely from glass, which is a big investment, but according to the team absolutely necessary. Visually you get to see others and feel like part of a community while enjoying a slice of privacy – it all circles back to their founding mission. The building will be opening on May 1, 2015, but we were able to get some photos of the other Industrious locations to give you an idea of what the St. Louis branch will look like.
