National co-working space franchisor Office Evolution plans to open seven to 10 locations in the Milwaukee market.
Office Evolution founder and chief executive officer Mark Hemmeter said he’s been talking to franchisees about creating 10 to 15 territories across Wisconsin, particularly in the Milwaukee, Green Bay and Appleton markets.
“I’d love to get a deal done there within the next couple months and open something in early 2019,” Hemmeter said of Wisconsin.
The Louisville, Colorado-based company currently has 50 co-working spaces in 17 states, with plans to reach 60 by the end of 2018, he said.
“We find the whole upper Midwest is attractive,” Hemmeter said. “We’re doing a lot of stuff in Ohio and Indiana. We love areas that are spread out with lots of entrepreneurs and small business owners. We think it’s been a fantastic market and Chicagoland’s been fantastic for us so far.”
Hemmeter said Office Evolution targets the white collar service industry, such as independent lawyers and accountants. He said while there are several existing co-working spaces in the Milwaukee market, there’s plenty of room because they are niche specific.
Office Evolution spaces are about 7,000 square feet and include 30 private offices, with a lounge and conference room, but less shared space overall than other co-working spots. Pricing ranges from $79 for a mailbox plan to a large private office at $1,200 per month.
“We don’t have the keg of beer and the pingpong table,” Hemmeter said. “I think one thing for people to realize is co-working’s not monolithic. It’s not one-size-fits-all.”
Several other co-working spaces have been announced in Milwaukee in recent months. National co-working company Spaces, plans to open a 43,000-square-foot space at 1433 N. Water St., and Work Lofts, a 3,700-square-foot micro co-working space, was opened in June by Phelan Development on Milwaukee’s East Side.
