Early next year, SafeNet Consulting is considering ditching its downtown Milwaukee co-working space in favor of a new, more flexible workspace option in a move that represents the evolving "future of work."
The information technology consulting firm has signed on as an early local customer of Radious, a flexible workplace booking platform started in Portland, Oregon, that chose Milwaukee as its second market for expansion starting this week.
Radious is like a mix between Airbnb and WeWork, according to the startup. Hosts list their residences and users can book them for meetings, coworking or private office space. It may appeal to workers who have qualms about returning to traditional offices but want to work outside the house, Radious CEO and founder Amina Moreau said in a June 30 statement.
The startup's entrance into the Milwaukee market comes as downtown leaders discuss using "third spaces" — community areas that allow people to work remotely — to attract pandemic-weary remote workers back to downtown Milwaukee.
The upside of Radious, SafeNet Consulting president Kelli Schnieder said, is that it offers flexible workspaces disbursed around the city — from the North Shore to Bay View to West Allis — and is potentially closer to employees' homes.
SafeNet has its headquarters near Minneapolis but has around 30 employees — about half of its staff — in the Milwaukee area, Schnieder said. Before the pandemic, it had a 7,700-square-foot Milwaukee office that was too big and moved into a coworking space at 790 N. Milwaukee St., she said.
Coming out of the pandemic, many SafeNet employees don't want to return to the downtown office largely due to concerns about traffic and commute time, Schnieder said. A small group still coordinates coming into the office together but paying $60,000 per year for a coworking space is a hefty expense for that purpose, she said.
SafeNet Consulting is one of "several corporate partners" Radious has in Milwaukee, Moreau told the Milwaukee Business Journal. At the time of publication, Radious had 14 Milwaukee-area listings with daily rates ranging from $168 to $1,400.
Moreau, one of the Portland Business Journal's 40 Under 40 honorees this year, founded Radious in late 2020 but effectively launched the platform in January, she said. It has more than 65 Portland listings including a renovated 1970s Airstream trailer.
Many of the hosts also list their spaces on short-term rental sites like Airbnb and Vrbo, Moreau said. For them, Radious is an additional potential income stream for weekdays and offseason vacation rental times, she said.
Radious chose Milwaukee as its second market for reasons including the competitive landscape, the strong demand for talent and its overall culture, Moreau said.
Working professionals can browse listings on the Radious platform; filter search results by internet speed, desired workplace amenities, capacity, and location; and book by the day. Radious also offers a subscription option for employers who want to offer the use of the platform as an employee benefit.
SafeNet Consulting plans to encourage employees to use Radious as needed starting this summer, Schnieder said. If it works out, the company may let its coworking space lease lapse at the end of February and may instead opt for a Radious subscription, she said.
"I want to save money because I feel like I'm just wasting office space with those few employees that go in, but I also want to give them options," Schnieder said. "I still believe that people do best when they are collaborating together."
Radious is hosting a free coworking day at one of its Milwaukee locations on July 8.
