gravitate history.
Providers of the finest wifi & coffee & people & space since 2013
2013 - Gravitate Coworking launched as Welch Avenue, LLC, an organization focused on helping people build early-stage, tech-enabled businesses in Iowa.
2013 - With an initial focus on local startup news and storytelling, we launch the Welch Avenue Daily blog, the Welch Avenue Show podcast and the Welch Avenue Weekly newsletter (later called The Pull).
2014 - Our original coworking space opens in the historic Midland Building, which is now home to the Surety Hotel. StartupStockPhotos.com visits the original Gravitate. We are instantly all over the internet (and still to this day).
2016 - Clay & Milk, a publication focused on telling the story of the entrepreneurial and technology communities throughout Iowa, was created as a separate company in 2016 and acquired by Gravitate in 2018.
2016 - With an eye toward serving a broader coworking need, we debut our “Pop Up Coworking” series of events bringing coworking pop up events to coffee shops, libraries, and breweries across Central Iowa.
2017 - Gravitate Valley Junction opens in West Des Moines, introducing coworking to the Des Moines metro’s near-west suburbs.
2017 - We start the process of moving to a bigger home to accommodate our growing downtown community, landing temporarily at “Gravitate 1.5” while we build out the new Gravitate Downtown from scratch.
2017 - Gravitate hires Andrea to be our first full-time employee other than our founder, Geoff Wood. #Gravi-Staff is now a thing.
2019 - Official Grand Opening Celebration at the new-new Gravitate Downtown.
2019 - We’re awarded the 2019 Waukee APEX 2019 Catalyst Award for work with students in the Waukee schools.
2019 - Gravitate graduates from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
2020 - Gravitate Valley Junction moves from West Des Moines to Windsor Heights. It’s now called the Gravitate Annex.
2020 - Geoff Wood named a finalist for the Technology Association of Iowa’s “CEO of the Year” award.
2021 - We launch our first rural location on the square in Jefferson, Iowa.
2021 - We start a two-year experiment merging in an existing coworking community into the larger Gravitate family in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
2021 - Gravitate hosts the Startup Champions Network summit bringing entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders from across the country to Des Moines.
2021 - Gravitate’s Abby Rowling honored as a finalist for the Global Workspace Association’s “Community Manager Award”
2022 - Gravitate East Village opens on the second floor above the flagship RAYGUN store in East Village neighborhood of Des Moines.
2022 - Gravitate joins The League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces (LExC), allowing our members to drop-in at the best coworking spaces all across the globe.
2023 - Gravitate Coworking celebrates ten years (10!) in business as the largest locally-owned and independent coworking organization in Iowa.
2023 - Our signature monthly member event “Pretzel Day” kicks off.
2024 - We continue to grow on the near-west side with opening of “Gravitate Windsor Heights”, a second location in the little ‘burb at the heart of the west side.
meet the crew.
Founder, Owner
geoff
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Geoff Wood studied community planning at Iowa State and business at Indiana University. For the first decade of his professional life he consulted with local governments around the country. In the second decade he helped build the startup community in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. Now into his third decade he’s working to make sure the community at Gravitate Coworking is the best that it can be while also taking time to enjoy life with his family and the ups and downs of Cyclone sports. He loves travel and meaningless trivia. Fun fact, he circumnavigated the entire Earth over three weeks in 2023.
taryn
Operations Manager
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Meet Taryn, a proud ISU graduate and lifelong Cyclone fan.
Taryn loves cooking, a good book, and catching sunsets. You can find her exploring Des Moines with her Bernese Mountain Dog, Arlo and hunting for hidden treasures at local thrift stores.
Windsor Heights Community Manager
syd
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Meet Syd, aka Mother Suburbia. While she has a background in environmental policy, houseplants, nannying and vegetable farming, she truly thrives on small talk and the candy bowl she keeps at the front desk.
When she’s not at Gravitate, you can find her taking art classes, petting dogs, binging TV series and planning her next road trip. She has also been known to accept scotcharoos as bribes.
kelsey
Downtown Community Manager
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Meet Kelsey, a creative soul who traded scissors for paintbrushes. Married and a mother of two, she cherishes family adventures and vacations, where she can relax and recharge her creative spirit.
Kelsey has found a home at Gravitate, where she is excited to foster meaningful relationships within the community.
East Village Community Manager
stacey
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Stacey is a wanderer who loves making friends. She’s ambled her way around places like Dublin and Tokyo and she has dreams of visiting every one of the state parks in Iowa. Her favorite place is where her cats (and fiancé) are. Stacey dreams of building communities where people of any background can find belonging and she is excited to do that through Gravitate. She grew up in a family of storytellers, so don’t be afraid to stop by because she is more than excited to chat! You will find Stacey at Gravitate East Village!
matt
Jefferson Gravitate Ambassador
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Matt is a family man cruising through a busy chapter of life with 6 school-aged kiddos.
He loves all things nature, traveling to beautiful places with his beautiful wife, art, and photography. Matt is passionate about showing anyone and every one the wonders of the outdoors. And would love if you joined him on an adventure!