HomeAdvisor, the online marketplace that connects homeowners with home-improvement professionals, is opening a new sales office in Chicago at one of the largest co-working companies.
The Golden, Colo.-based company announced Tuesday that its office will span two WeWork locations in River North. Initially, HomeAdvisor will move into the WeWork at 20 W. Kinzie St. in October, but will expand into the neighborhood’s newest location at 515 N. State St. when it opens in November.
HomeAdvisor says it is now hiring for sales roles in the Chicago offices, planning to open with about 25 to 50 employees. In addition to its headquarters in Golden, HomeAdvisor has offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, Colo., Indianapolis, New York and Kansas City, where it also occupies space in a WeWork location.
In 2017, HomeAdvisor merged with Angie’s List, an online home services platform for reviews of local businesses and contractors, to form ANGI Homeservices.
“With HomeAdvisor’s multiple offices already in the Midwest, we are thrilled to be expanding into Chicago,” said Craig Smith, COO of ANGI Homeservices, in a statement. “We've grown our sales team significantly in the past year, have growth plans for 2019 and beyond, and Chicago is key to that growth.”
With HomeAdvisor’s on-demand platform, homeowners can find and vet local, pre-screened home service professionals, view average home project costs, and instantly book appointments online or through the company’s app.
New-York based WeWork has eight locations in Chicago, providing office space for more than 6,500 members. HomeAdvisor’s decision to open an office in a WeWork location is a reflection of a growing trend among larger companies that are choosing the flexible workspaces over traditional office leases.
Divisions of Amazon, Verizon and Liberty Mutual Insurance now rent office space in WeWorks. According to the Wall Street Journal, co-working space could account for as much as 15 percent of the real estate portfolios of large companies in the next three to five years.
"WeWork is thrilled to be supporting HomeAdvisor's expansion to Chicago,” said Megan Dodds, WeWork general manager for the Midwest, in a statement. “As it looks to quickly build and scale its local sales teams, HomeAdvisor recognizes the importance of having flexible and inspiring workspace and a strong local network.”
