Efactory expands coworking space

The opening of a semiprivate coworking space, named Coworking@Brick, was announced at the Efactory’s 10th anniversary event.

Executive Director Rachel Anderson said the offices will be located on the third floor of Brick City Building 3 for use by remote workers, small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

“We are excited to share that we will be open for business in our second location for members who want to rent semiprivate offices, starting next month,” Anderson said at the event yesterday.

She described the new coworking space as being “just across the street” in Missouri State University’s Brick City, a collection of six rehabbed buildings that provide artistic and collaborative spaces for the university and private entities. Brick City is part of the IDEA Commons historic warehouse district, described by university officials as an urban innovation park. The roughly 8,000-square-foot coworking space will have three conference rooms and 14 semiprivate offices.

In an interview following the announcement, Anderson said the need for additional coworking space has accelerated with changes in work life, with traditional office jobs giving way to flexible arrangements. The rise of remote work also increases the need for semiprivate offices. It’s a trend that was kicked into high gear by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the Efactory had 120 tenants across its over 22,000 square feet of leasable space, including Walker Tek Solutions, Alliance Maintenance, Torrent Consulting, The App Pros, SwipeSum and Apt Crowd, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. According to the Efactory’s most recent annual report, more than 200 coworking members are on monthly plans or day passes.

The project to ready Coworking@Brick began in January, and the new space will be ready to accept tenants in August, Anderson said.

Rates in both locations are the same, she said – $300 per month for a semiprivate office, $200 for a dedicated desk, $100 for a floating desk and $50 for a virtual office. A 10-day pass is available for $100, and a day pass is $20.

The space already has an anchor tenant, Cape Girardeau-based technology incubator Codefi Foundation on Rural Innovation, that is expanding into Springfield, Anderson said. Codefi aims to expand the digital economy, particularly in rural areas, according to past reporting. The company partners with the Efactory on digital workforce development initiatives in 47 counties in southern Missouri, according to its website.

An expanded version of this article is scheduled to appear in Springfield Business Journal's July 24 print edition.