Working Together

Collaborative spaces provide variety of opportunities for startups

BY KAYLA PRASEK

Within the last five years, northern Plains cities have seen more and more entrepreneurs take the leap and start their own businesses. While some of those businesses have grown to include a whole roster of employees, many still have just one employee and are based out of the founder’s home. In cities like Fargo and Bismarck, N.D., Willmar, Minn., and Sioux Falls, S.D., entrepreneurs have banded together to form co-working spaces.

These spaces are usually high-tech, open spaces with a variety of different work areas, conference rooms and offices, available for local entrepreneurs to have a real work space with low overhead and the ability to network with other entrepreneurs. The spaces operate on a subscription basis, usually with different levels of membership available.

Regional Spaces

WORKUP in Willmar is a “destination-style space,” says Betsy Bonnema, owner of REDStar Creative, which operates WORKUP. WORKUP is located in a historic building on the MinnWest Technology

Campus, in a building that hadn’t been used for 15 years. “We opened it up so it’s more conducive to co-working, but we also retained the historic architectural elements.”

Bonnema says REDStar has been in Willmar for 25 years and “has a history of being collaborative with our clients. We wanted to create a space so other people could have that environment.” Willmar’s Vision 2040 committee also identified co-working as a good way for Willmar to expand its economic growth. Already, WORKUP’s membership consists of a diverse cross-section of entrepreneurs, ranging from yoga instructors to digital media companies and other technology-related businesses. “We’re really looking to support startups,” Bonnema says.

In Fargo, Emerging Prairie recently opened the Prairie Den, a co-working space designed to look like a student union. Prairie Den has no dedicated desks; instead, open seating allows members to interact and feel welcome. “They can do work that matters while interacting,” says Annie Wood, director of community programs at Emerging Prairie. Prairie Den also acts as a meeting and event space for members.

Wood says Emerging Prairie wanted to create something the community could find value in when they decided to open Prairie Den. “We see it as a place to give people the chance to build their businesses. That community aspect is what makes co-working work. This is an opportunity to create a stronger community in Fargo for a lot of people who don’t have that community because of their type of work.”

The Bakery in Sioux Falls features a library that doubles as a quiet place to work, an open collaborative space, a classroom, a photo studio, three offices and a conference room, in addition to a gym, basketball court and rooftop patio. “People come here for one of two reasons: to get away and hide or to collaborate and network,” says co-founder Brian Rand. “Here at The Bakery, we focus on three things - helping build businesses, education and community. We’ve really created a culture that is like a family.”

Members at The Bakery range from high school students to retirees, bringing in a wide range of people and talents. Many of The Bakery’s members don’t have businesses but want to be “part of this community of people doing bigger things,” Rand says. The Bakery is currently building a nonprofit called The Exchange, in which they’ve partnered with 27 university professors to teach classes. “We want to build a model where you are able to take courses here and leave with college credit.”

Start Bismarck’s co-working space is set to open to co-founders Sept. 1 and to the public Oct. 1. “The entrepreneurial community has really started thriving here in the past five years,” says Hannah Haynes, startup community director for Start Bismarck. “It’s really still in its beginning stages, so this is the next step. We have all these entrepreneurs, and our downtown needed a hub for those people to work.”

In Grand Forks, Evolve ND is a nonprofit working to bring a co-working space to the city. “In addition to giving life to ideas, the Evolve ND co-working space intends to create ideas,” says Evolve ND co-founder Brandon Baumbach. “The space will provide deliberate intra-industry connections, leading to innovation. The co-working space cross-pollinates between industries. These new intersections of experience and expertise can lead to some interesting new products, events or programs.”

Grand Forks needs a co-working space because it would help foster and develop new industries by helping them plug into the local community, says Nick Jensen, who has been involved with bringing a co-working space to Grand Forks. “Grand Forks stands at a crossroads. Brand new industries, new ways of working and expanding horizons have combined to make this a time of great opportunity for Grand Forks, but this moment won’t wait and needs to be embraced by our entire community. We see a functional and active co-working space as one part to ensure Grand Forks can seize on this potential.”

A New Way to Work

As the younger generation enters the workforce, more workers are interested in a different culture than what’s offered in the corporate world. At the same time, more entrepreneurs want to have an office space but can’t afford the typical costs associated with one. “The workforce and culture of work is really changing,” Bonnema says. “People want to do meaningful work, so they are starting business, freelancing and working remotely. They have a desire to have inspiration around them, and co-working is the answer to that.”

The growth of co-working also goes back to people wanting to help others succeed. “Successful entrepreneurs share their ideas, experiences and tips with others in our space,” Wood says. “There’s no competition against each other. They just want to see each other succeed, which I really value.”

The way people can communicate in different environments has also helped co-working grow, Haynes says. “Co-working brings all these diverse people into one room where they can collaborate even though they’re all working in different fields. There really is a need for these types of spaces.”

When it comes to nurturing startups, Bonnema says co-working spaces can be very important because those spaces “support and accelerate the process. Our goal is to provide those startups the resources they need to get off the ground. They can connect quickly and efficiently to those resources, which can be time-consuming and expensive for a new business.” Some of those resources include giving a business owner trying to meet with a client a more formal place to meet, being able to plug into a network of other people and giving a sense of belonging in the business world, Wood says.

The need for immediate feedback makes co-working spaces vital for startups, Rand says. “If you have an idea, you can send it out to your network at the co-working space and they can respond immediately to let you know what they think. If you need something designed, you have probably five people right there who would be willing to do it. Everything can be handled right away within that community, which is highly important for new businesses.” PB

Kayla Prasek Staff Writer Prairie Business 701-780-1187, kprasek@prairiebizmag.com

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