HUB 925 brings shared-workspace trend to Dr. Phillips

DR. PHILLIPS  Like many ideas, the genesis of HUB 925 was rooted in a need that wasn’t being met.

When business meetings would bring together MetroWest resident Piper Hood, who owns a sales performance improvement company called Shop Source LLC, and Dr. Phillips’ Catherine Cavins, who owns Focal Point Construction Services, they often found themselves struggling to find adequate space at places such as Starbucks and Panera Bread.

Both women work from home, and their options for meetings could be inconvenient for business — especially when reviewing construction plans, which tend to be larger than some of the tables available.

Even being sure that a table would be available could be problematic.

Cavins began to consider renting office space, but she was also familiar with the idea of co-working spaces and felt she would prefer that setting. 

Of course, when she discovered such a space had yet to open in southwest Orange County and — more specifically — in Dr. Phillips, an idea was born.

“I sent (Piper) an email that (was titled), ‘Crazy idea,’” Cavins said of the lightbulb moment.

As of Oct. 23, though, that “crazy idea” is a reality, and the two local residents are partners.

HUB 925 opened in the Venezia Plaza shopping center on Sand Lake Road. The new co-working space bills itself as “an ideal respite from a distracting home office, overcrowded coffee shop or stale office environment.” 

The concept itself is something Hood and Cavins are excited to introduce to the market.

“The easiest way to explain (a co-working space) is just to say it’s a place to go and get work done,” Hood said.

From personal experience, Hood said working from home sometimes is not all it is cracked up to be. The home environment can be distracting and isolating, and a co-working space can provide the camaraderie and energy of an office — without the actual office, she said.

HUB 925 offers a variety of work area options within its 2,000-square-foot location. There are individual desks, tables, high-top tables, lounge areas for informal meetings and discussions, and conference rooms. The location includes business-class WiFi, two private phone booths for important phone calls, the ability to print, scan, fax or copy, and a full-service coffee bar and power snacks in the afternoons.

And, as is the case with other co-working spaces — as the model becomes increasingly popular nationally — HUB 925 can be a place where entrepreneurs and professionals can network with other members, too.

One of the big selling points so far for the new space is its unique, trendy décor that is designed to impress and to fuel creativity.

“We kind of zeroed in on this whole industrial look,” Hood said. “We knew we didn’t want a traditional office or call center look. Since we’ve opened, every person that walks in the door says, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ I think (the decor is) the No. 1 thing that draws people in.”

Hood and Cavins also are excited about their specific location — along Restaurant Row, in the same plaza as popular restaurants such as Rocco’s Tacos and having a close proximity to Interstate 4, International Drive and the Orange County Convention Center.

HUB 925 offers different options for members, based on how many days a week they would like to use the space. A top-tier option includes a business mailing address, private storage, a toll-free telephone number and conference room hours.

Although this model was part of the equation from the beginning, another arose — once again — to meet a need. When a freelance photographer sought the ability to just rent one of the two conference rooms for her meetings, that opened the partners’ eyes to a new possibility. Now, conference rooms are available to rent by the hour, and the venue itself is available to rent after business hours. 

“It could have an alter-ego,” Cavins said of the space. “It’s got the daytime, serious, nine-to-five atmosphere for working. But, then it can also expand into a social networking and business networking after-hours (venue).”

For more information on HUB 925, visit hub925.com.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].