On the last day of 2018, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on some of our favorite pieces, headlines and Rhody ecosystem hotspots with another "End of Year" series.
First up? A roundup of this year's Office Envy pieces.
For the unfamiliar, these Office Envy articles take a look inside some of Rhode Island’s coolest working environments, and talk with the people that make them so special.
Let's take a look at some below.
The Box Office
Bram Berkowitz: It was the beginning of the great recession, and architect and real estate developer Peter Gill Case had no job.
What he did have was a vacant piece of land on the west side of Providence, a sinking real estate market and high building costs.
So Case decided to gamble, and hired Joe Haskett to help design an office space that would target entrepreneurs, small businesses and startups, and they planned to make the building out of cargo shipping containers, which were easy to find at the time due to the struggles of the shipping industry.
“The concept was a little bit odd because at that time, there was enormous vacancy [rates] and we were targeting a niche market of very small offices with a lower price point,” said Case, who now has his own architectural firm called Truth Box Architects, which focuses on energy-efficient design.
Read the full story here.
Hasbro and It's Day of Joy
For Hasbro President John Frascotti, the company’s annual Global Day of Joy is his favorite of the year.
“I think that’s true for so many of our employees,” he said.
John Frascotti, President, Hasbo. Photo Credit: Hasbro
He’s referencing the company-wide day of service in December, which strives to bring, well, joy to children and their families across the globe. The Hasbro HQ in Pawtucket becomes a North Pole workshop and command center, and Hasbro teams from Ireland to Australia and everywhere in between participate in acts of kindness throughout the day.
The program is in its fifth year, and typically involves 93 percent of Hasbro’s global employee force stepping in for duty. Usually it’s just illness or holiday travel that keeps the other seven percent from participating, Frascotti said.
In Rhode Island alone, an estimated 1,500 employees participate in “Mission Kindness” scavenger hunts throughout the community, paint murals, or wrap and deliver Christmas gifts to every elementary student in the Pawtucket, Providence and Central Falls school districts — more than 17,000 students. In all, Hasbro donates 1.5 million of its toys to 250 children-focused organizations across the globe, with a price tag of more than $14 million.
Read part one here. Read part two, which focuses on the technical elements of the Day of Joy, here.
Sprout Coworking
Sprout Coworking has announced the completion of the expansion at its Providence location.
The work has doubled Sprout’s size, bringing the complex to 8,000 square feet. It includes seven new private offices, an eight-person meeting room and an additional hot desk space that doubles as an event space.
This expansion is a natural result of Sprout’s adherence to its overall work. “Our number one mission is, we want to provide the space and the ground for anyone who’s looking to grow their company to have an innovative environment to collaborate and network together, whether in Providence and now in East Bay,” said Sprout Community Engagement Manager Luis Barrios in an earlier interview.
This isn’t Sprout’s only news. In January, the coworking group announced a new campus in Warren.
Read the full story here.
Spire Space
Bram Berkowtiz: When brothers Jared and Josh Furtado first purchased a 5,000 square foot, two-story building in Middletown three years ago, they did so for the sole purpose of housing their tech recruiting firm Towerhill Associates.
But after configuring the space to their liking, they were left with extra space upstairs.
Looking for a way to connect with the local community, the duo decided to open Spire Space, the first coworking center on Aquidneck Island, which has now been up and running for about 1.5 years.
“We saw coworking as an easy way to get connected with the community locally and utilize space in creative way not available on the island,” Josh told Rhode Island Inno. “We are excited for people to get comfortable with the coworking concept, not just for own business, but the more we can build community and connect people, the better.”
Situated in a commercial area, but only one mile away from the beaches and 10 minutes from downtown Newport, the location offers a great blend of a professional atmosphere and an ideal place to live.
Josh said the goal was to make the space suitable for all types of professions, from graphic designers to attorneys. The space has seating for 25, although at that capacity it might start to get crowded and noisy, he said.
Spire Space also offers all the amenities including enterprise level Wi-Fi, printing/fax stations, free parking and free coffee.
Read the full story here.
