The Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Properties
tour has come to OfficeLAB.
PPS will host a reception on Tuesday, November 18, 6:00-8:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. The exhibit will remain at OfficeLab through Saturday, December 6, the date of the 2008 PPS Holiday Festival and Downtown Stroll.
Calling all tech startups and freelancers…
We are kicking off our first Friday Face-to-Face this Friday, Oct. 31st from 10am-4pm. This is a chance for startups and freelancers to get work done “Face-to-Face” in downtown Providence.
Non-members must pay a $5 fee to get in. So whether you decide to stay for 1 hour or 6 hours. $5 gets you unlimited coffee, high-speed internet access, cool people, flexible work environment, and real-world interaction…
Please email info@officelab.us to sign up!
The first Rhode Island Ruby on Rails Group (RIRUG) meeting was held tonight at OfficeLAB and was a great success. Craig gave an intriguing presentation on Rails conventions and microframeworks such as Sinatra. Matt gave us some insight into twalala.com - the project was created during this year’s Rails Rumble.
Vote here for Matt and the rest of his team!
The folks over at RINexus invited me to add to their conversation… See it here: http://www.rinexus.com
BTW: Providencial is the portuguese word for “Opportune”…
I recently heard the term “Slasher” used by my new friend Abby — she’s a dancer “slash” jeweler “slash” writer “slash” executive assistant “slash” probably many other things. She’s a slasher. And she’s really good at everything she does! That comes back to her creative mind — I would guess that the same brain cells are lighting up when she performs her art as when she balances the demands assisting a very busy executive…
I have also recently learned that the state (of Rhode Island) does not track 1099s. Isn’t much of our creative economy driven by people that receive 1099’s instead of W-2’s? So does the unemployment rate of 8.5% reflect our creative and knowledge economy? The artists, freelance programmers, freelance designers, and entrepreneurs — the people we are trying to attract and support — and the people that give Providence much of its personality — are lost in the shuffle of economic development?
So let’s make sure the state recognizes our slashers and 1099ers. They are vital to our economy!
We had an awesome turnout at our first Open House / Grand Opening on Thursday. We will hold another open house this Tuesday, Oct. 14th from 10am - 4pm. I was very impressed by the amount of interesting people that showed up… a great sign of the community that is going to come out of putting OfficeLAB together.
We hope this is going to be one of the many implementations of what others are talking about — supporting and fostering the creative and knowledge economy in Providence. Providence is a pretty cool city in that there are many initiatives, nonprofits, organizations and individuals doing great things for the city’s creative class. We think that OfficeLAB can set an example for how the private sector can take an active role in pushing this knowledge economy forward with innovative business models.
Hope to see many more of you programmers, writers and consultants (and whatever else you do) this Tuesday!
Flexible collaborative workspace for mobile professionals opens in downtown Providence
WHAT: Join the Providence community in checking out OfficeLAB, a new place for sharing office space and resources with a community of entrepreneurs, freelancers, and mobile professionals. OfficeLAB was created through Urban Sun Investments’ “Seed Providence” initiative to support and foster the city’s burgeoning knowledge economy.
Bring your laptop, work, relax, network, drink coffee, and enjoy this unique workspace in the heart of Downcity. Try out the 8mbps upload and download speeds by either plugging in directly or tapping high-speed WIFI (Simultaneous Dual N-band). And come see OfficeLAB’s
revolving art gallery featuring select local artists. This month we are featuring Dorota Streitfeld, Wayne Bridge and friends.
WHEN: Thursday, Oct 9th, from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
WHO: Entrepreneurs, freelancers, mobile professionals, and OfficeLAB staff
WHERE: 170 Westminster Street, Providence, RI (3rd Floor)
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
OfficeLAB Providence website:
http://www.officelab.us/
CONTACT:
Wayne Franklin
wfranklin@urban-sun.com
