Derek Bluford to open Coworking spaces throughout the nation

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Derek Bluford to open Coworking spaces throughout
the nation
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Owners of Coffee and Coworking said the space
will cater to technology professionals and
entrepreneurs, while also serving as a location
for young people to pick up valuable tech skills
like coding. The effort is being spearheaded
by local entrepreneur and former CEO Derek
Bluford and Co-founder Gagan Johal. Bluford,
who told the Business Journal that construction
crews will begin putting glass offices in the
4,000-square-foot space on Thursday. He said the
co-working space will open its doors by
December. Bluford said the co-working space
will partner with the owner of the adjacent Old
Soul_at_40 Acres coffee shop to offer coffee and
pastries to members. I am really hopeful that
were going to build a community here, Bluford
said. I am really hopeful that opening this
center up, not just the co-working side but the
community, will hopefully cut down on crime and
help kids focus more at school.
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Located next to Bastille Barbers, the 3428 Third
Ave. space was formerly an art gallery.
Co-working spaces, which provide shared
workspace for professionals and entrepreneurs
without requiring a long-term lease, have
expanded significantly in the Sacramento region
recently. While there were only two in 2009,
today there around a dozen. Bluford said the
growth of freelance and startup businesses
locally and nationwide was a factor in his
decision to start a co-working space. Its a
growing, proven model, Bluford said. I
definitely think its a stable market to be in.
Johal said the location of the co-working space
fits in well with the adjacent coffee shop and
neighborhood businesses. Spaces like this are
only going to grow in the future, he said.
Fireside chats and training in areas like app
development and videography will also be offered
at the space. Monthly membership rates at Coffee
and Coworking are 350 to 400 for an individual
office, 100 for a desk space and 40 for a
virtual office (which includes limited monthly
access to desk and conference room spaces).
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Coffee and Coworking is a self-funded venture,
Bluford said. He and Johal are spending around
140,000 with the buildout, equipment, furniture
and related costs. Bluford also said that
members can expect the change to compete for up
to 250,000 in funding during the spaces first
year. This will be a vetting process and we'll
most likely partner with some local business
owners as judges to help select and award
investments, he said in an email. Bluford said
the coding classes will be free for high school
seniors. He said hes also starting co-working
spaces in underserved communities in Culver City
near Los Angeles and the New York City borough of
the Bronx.   Article Resource -
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