Coworking group COhatch is expanding to Florida for the first time.
The Central Ohio chain of coworking spaces has locked in three new locations in the Tampa metro area, marking the first time that the quickly expanding chain plants its flag outside the Midwest. The chain has spaces slated for St. Petersburg, West Tampa and Lakeland.
Those three locations are just the beginning — as it has done in other cities, COhatch hopes to eventually expand to 10 or 20 locations.
“This step outside the Midwest is a significant one for us,” Matt Davis, co-founder and CEO of COhatch, said in a statement. “We’re working to strengthen communities and improve lives, and we’re excited to be able to carry that mission outside of our headquarters region."
Two of the three new locations are older retail storefronts that will be repurposed for coworking. The third, in St. Petersburg, is a 14,000-square-foot former hotel it purchased for $2.25 million this month, according to local property records.
The addresses are:
- COhatch St. Petersburg: 15 8th St. N
- COhatch West Tampa: 2112 W Main St.
- COhatch Lakeland: 211 E Main St.
Each location will have open space for freelancers, small private offices, conference rooms and small gathering and events spaces. It expects to draw freelancers, startups and neighborhood hubs for large companies using hybrid or work-from-home models.
“We’re naturally focused on providing the best flexible office solutions and business tools, but we’re also working to provide opportunities to promote collaboration, volunteerism and community service,” Davis said in the statement. “We want this to be a place where people will cultivate community connectivity and live their ideal lives.”
COhatch is looking to open additional locations in the 10,000- to 15,000-square-feet range near retail cores and areas with heavy foot traffic, the company said. It often repurposes and transforms old buildings for its coworking spaces.
Joel and Elisabeth Limes, COhatch’s chief brand officers, design each new location with local flavor.
While coworking giants like WeWork have been stifled while people stay home, COhatch has continued to grow with its business model, which creates spaces for coworking, community centers, event space, small-business networking and entrepreneurial development clubs. Members have access to all locations.
Surging to $1.9 million in revenue since its 2016 founding, the 11-employee company was atop Columbus Business First’s annual Fast 50 list of the fastest-growing companies in Central Ohio last year.
Between Tampa, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Indianapolis, it has 25 locations now open or under development.
