Friday, February 13, 2015YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- With plenty of room left in NYO Property Group's Urban Office Space, the companies leasing space put on an open house, showing off the suites to 50 interested groups and companies.
“I was very impressed. It's a really good space and the rent is low,” says IM Image Marketing CEO Mike Tarantino.
While IM isn't looking to expand their offices, Tarantino says the Urban Office Space is something he'd consider recommending to clients.
“It's a great space if you need to start up or just meet a client,” he says. “If we needed the space, we'd consider this.”
The offices are available to rent on a monthly or hourly basis. Co-work memberships are also available on a monthly basis for companies who aren't in need of private workspace. Among the tenants is Platt Insurance, which also has locations in Cortland and Poland.
“One thing I like about the space is that it's really collaborative in nature. There's a synergy among everyone working together,” owner Ellie Platt says. “There are so many exciting things going on and such an energy downtown with young professionals. In the next couple of years, we're going to see that more than ever and we want to be part of it.”
Sarra Mohn, a partner with Urban Office Space tenant Jet Creative Productions, says that their office space is invaluable.
“For a startup company like us, we have a strategy to stay lean and that will always be our strategy. We're able to competitively bid against other companies and be successful, all because we don't have that overhead,” Mohn says. “For startups, it can be years before you get your own office space. This gave us an opportunity to accelerate our timeline faster than we expected.”
One benefit that Mohn is sure to note is that general office costs -- for example, Internet, printing and phones -- are included in the rental rates.
The turnout for the event, and the diversity of the companies represented, was a pleasant surprise for both Mohn and Platt. One Hot Cookie owner Bergen Giordani, whose main store is across the street in Erie Terminal Place, says she expects the environment to attract even more startups.
“I've been in and out of here throughout the day for different meetings and it's always a collaborative atmosphere,” she says. “There's real socialization in the hallways with people chatting, but there's still private workspace so you get your work done.”
Giordani said renovated office spaces downtown offer something unique.
“This is a new office space in an old building,” she says.
“One thing that downtown really has going for it is all of these old buildings with traditional architecture. With a fresh coat of paint, some new floors, they turn out looking really great.”
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Pictured: Urban Office Space tenants at Thursday's open house.
Copyright 2015 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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