Gravitate Coworking to open first rural coworking space in Jefferson
The soon-to-be-home of Gravitate Jefferson
I'm excited to share that we are officially opening our first rural coworking space next month (woot!) in Jefferson.
Gravitate Coworking—Jefferson will be at retail-level in the “City View on State” building at 202 E. State St. It’s just off the town square northeast of the Greene County Courthouse and immediately adjacent to Accenture's Rural Forge project. The local community’s ability to rally together and execute on unconventional and forward-thinking projects like Rural Forge are a big reason that we decided to start our own rural initiative in Jefferson.
Our building is a historic property (dating back to the 1880s) and is currently being redeveloped by the City. We’ve been working towards this project for several months in a good faith agreement and at last night’s meeting, the City Council formally approved our lease to start as soon improvements are complete (which should be in the next few weeks).
Historic tin ceiling tiles in the process of getting installed in the conference room.
Gravitate Jefferson will feature floating seating for eight, six dedicated desk positions, two bar-height standing working areas, soft seating in the store front window boxes, two private offices, a large kitchenette and a conference room with seating for up to ten people.
Inside the Gravitate Jefferson space, kitchenette to be on the left, conference room to the rear and private offices to the right.
The current public health situation and related economic uncertainty make for an interesting time to launch a new coworking community, but we’re confident in the resiliency of rural Iowa and in the need for humans, as social animals, to connect with each other on the other side of all of this. By following the COVID safety procedures we have in place at all Gravitate locations, we’re confident we can safely be there for those members who need our services now.
I'd like to thank Mayor Gordon and members of the Jefferson City Council, Nick Sorenson at the City, Chris Deal, Ken Paxton and the Greene County Development Corporation, the Iowa Economic Development Authority and everyone else who encouraged us along the way and helped to bring this project to life.
—Geoff Wood
Owner, Gravitate Coworking
