People learn about coworking, Troy project
TROY, N.Y. » The Troy Innovation Garage was filled with current members and potential new members throughout the day Thursday for National Coworking Day.
People were able to experience what the Garage and coworking has to offer free- of-charge as part of National Coworking Day.
Troy Innovation Garage is recognized as one of Upstate New York’s leading environments for startups. Over 40 companies and 115 people call the Garage home, and the once vacant building now injects over $7.5 million in annual creative economy wages to Downtown Troy’s expanding economy.
As the Capital Region’s leading coworking space with a premiere location in vibrant Downtown Troy, “The Garage” has become an indispensable driver of the local creative economy, one of the fastest growing employment sectors in New York.
“There’s something for everyone in a number of different capacities, you know whether you are a remote worker, a start-up [ business] or a corporate [ business],” said Nicole Manupella, Troy Innovation Garage Community Manager. “A lot of companies in the region can utilize the space, it’s inspiring, it’s creative, it’s an off-site space to kind of collaborate and create with their team.”
The Troy Innovation Garage is described as an entrepreneurial ecosystem where ideas run free and people have the resources they need to fully tap their potential. This coworking environment is aimed at the Capital Regional creative entrepreneurs, located in and supporting the renaissance story in Downtown Troy.
“I’ve been working out of coffee shops and at home and [the Troy Innovation Garage] is extremely productive and very focused,” said Zan Strumfeld, who is a literary assistant and a book editor, who has been a member at the Garage for a month or two now.
Strumfeld decided to bring her friend, Raquel Velho, to check out the innovation garage on Thursday since she has enjoyed it so much herself.
“I wanted to see what it was like [at the Troy Innovation Garage], Zan has been talking about it for a while and Zan and I often work together from caffè’s when I’m not in my office, so I thought I would try this out and see if it works,” said Velho, who is a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The Capital Region Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) named Troy Innovation Garage “Innovative development of the Year” in the Capital Region. The space has played host to high-level business leaders and elected officials, including discussions on the development of the region’s video gaming industry and expansion of the creative economy.