Chamber Executive Director Moe Belliveau (left) and Laurie Lamoureux, the president of the chamber’s Board of Directors (right) celebrate the vision of the WorkHub coming to life during a ceremony at the new space on Sept. 20.
Reminder Publishing photo by Ryan Feyre
EASTHAMPTON — A feeling of exultation radiated alongside and inside 33 Union St. as the community gathered on Sept. 20 to celebrate the ribbon cutting for Easthampton’s new co-working space known as WorkHub on Union.
What started as a simple idea in 2017 is now a reality for the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, which opened the new space as a dynamic hub where local professionals, businesses, innovators and other creative minds can converge to build their networks and work collaboratively to exchange ideas.
“This is a place where people can come together and collaborate, innovate and learn from each other,” said Laurie Lamoureux, the president of the chamber’s Board of Directors and CFO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital. “That’s how we see this.”
Coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, Lamoureux said that the chamber heard a lot of people say they did not want to work at home anymore; they wanted a space where they can do their work and collaborate with others.
“We see our mission as helping all businesses,” Lamoureux said, when talking about the new space. “But also, for businesses that are growing.”
The WorkHub holds many amenities including 24/3 key fob access, high speed internet, a fully equipped conference room for different events and meetings, a lounge area, a private telephone area and access to a copy center.
According to Lamoureux, the hub can hold up to 20 people at a time from an individual workspace perspective, and people can access the space and its amenities through different pricing plans, including discounts for chamber members. For example, people can pay $390 a month for a full dedicated individual desk and all of the space’s amenities for three days a week or $204 a month for all of the space’s amenities plus a dedicated shared desk for three days a week.
People can also pay $36 for a day pass to access a shared desk plus the hub’s amenities.
Lamoureux also said that the Easthampton chamber offices will now be planted in the WorkHub to offer their expertise in professional relationship and network building opportunities, professional development, leadership education, entrepreneurial support and resource navigation.
The chamber will be able to provide access to its COSTARTERS program, which is a six-to-eight-week course that helps entrepreneurs set up their business before they graduate and get started.
“Having the chamber office in this space allows us to make connections with businesses,” Lamoureux said. “We can offer resources as people come in and out.”
The new hub received many donations to make the hub happen including a $50,000 Collaborative Workspace Program Fit-Out Grant from MassDevelopment and $100,000 in state funding, along with many other individual donations.
Lamoureux said the chamber is still looking for donations to reach their $450,000 goal. As of press time, they were $170,000 short of that goal.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle reminisced about the conversations she had with the chamber’s Executive Director Moe Belliveau, about Belliveau’s vision for the space when they talked in 2017.
She noted how the hub’s existence is a testament to the city’s partnership with the chamber on economic innovation and commended Belliveau’s determination to make the hub happen.
“It’s a bold step forward,” LaChapelle said of the hub. “It’s expanding the impact that the chamber has beyond the usual confines and into a realm that embraces the future of work. It’s a space where collaboration meets inspiration; a place where ideas can flourish, and partnerships can thrive.”
In his remarks during the ceremony, state Rep. Dan Carey (D-Easthampton) spoke about the ways in which the new hub will positively impact surrounding businesses on Union Street and throughout the city.
“It’s just as good for the community as a whole,” Carey said. “For people who will never step foot in this room but will walk by and feel more comfortable on the street and come to these businesses, and the businesses that are going to incubate in this space and grow out of this space and benefit all of us in Easthampton and the greater Easthampton area. It’s going to be amazing to watch.”
People can learn more about the hub and the pricing plans by visiting the hub section of the chamber website: easthamptonchamber.org/workhub-on-union/.
