By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Celebrating a year of bringing like-minded professionals together, local business leaders gathered at BriefSpace, 219 W. 10th, for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting that will kick off a week of free co-working at the location.
“We are celebrating a year in this incredible space that has done wonders for our community and gives so much opportunity,” said Sarah Wasinger, president and CEO of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
“This whole venture started several years ago, actually,” said Doug Williams executive director of Grow Hays. “Through a whole lot of trials and tribulations, and a whole lot of gray hair, we got it done about a year ago and we moved in.
“It’s been very well utilized so far,” he said.
BriefSpace has “stunning workspaces to help you be productive, as well as functional meeting and training spaces for networking and collaboration,” according to its website. “We offer access to the professional services of Grow Hays and the vibrant, diverse local business community of Hays. BriefSpace was designed and built through a generous grant provided by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing opportunities for the people of northwest Kansas to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.”
BriefSpace has a variety of membership levels, Williams said, and also has meeting space available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We are pretty flexible if we don’t have anything else going on we are going to be very reasonable on somebody using it,” Williams said. “What we are really after is usage of the facility.”
Williams said he views the goal of the facility is not to make a profit but to be a valuable space for local business.
“Our entire goal here is not to make money, it’s to try and break-even,” he said. “We want usage more than anything else.
“If somebody has an event or something like that, call us and we’ll figure it out,” Williams said.
Features of the space include 1-gigabit WiFi, 24/7 building access, an on-site community manager, conference and training rooms, unique common areas, private phone booths, a copier/printer/scanner, a coffee bar, a kitchen, and the Proximity app.
More about Grow Hays and BriefSpace can be found on their website by clicking here.
