I wish I had known what coworking was three years ago. At the time I worked for an international travel company, and was visiting high schools everyday, marketing teen travel programs throughout New England. Normally, I’d love to support local coffee shops, but I could never depend on speedy internet, or control the noise level. I remember taking calls and frantically clicking the mute button as the barista began grinding more beans. And of course there was that guilty feeling of staying way too long. That was if I could even get a table.
UGH.
My solution? Panera Bread. Yes. I settled for using Panera as my office on the road because I knew what I was walking into every time. But what I really got was too many triple chocolate cookies and wifi that kicked me off after two hours.
Fast forward to a few years later when I learned that coworkers of mine (who were spread out across the globe) were going into an office every day, that was designed for folks like us, as well as small business owners, creatives, remote teams. The thought of leaving work at the office, having dependable wifi, and finding a community of like-minded professionals was a dream. Plus, there's different types of memberships, based on your needs.
That’s why when I moved to Tucson in September 2019, I knew I needed to join a coworking space. I discovered Anexo Works & Events in Barrio Viejo, and I loved it. I only went in for one day and I was sold. I called my boyfriend, family and coworkers to tell them how productive I was. How great it felt to talk to other humans during the day. To not worry about being kicked out. To brainstorm marketing ideas. To learn about local restaurants to try and events to attend (this was back in September, remember). It was beautiful.
As fate would have it, the Co-Founders of Anexo Works & Events, Gina Catalano and Katina Koller, had plans of opening their premier coworking space, La Suprema Works, and needed a Community Manager.
I had just transitioned out of my role at the travel company, and knew the positive impact that coworking has on professionals, and a community. So I leaned in the opportunity to help open La Suprema Works and become the Community Manager.
While it’s certainly been strange to open a coworking space in the middle of the pandemic, it’s been meaningful. I’m hearing on a daily basis that people in Tucson need a place to go to focus — that’s free of kids running around and dogs are barking during your Zoom calls (honestly how do they time this up so well???)
I’ve had the joy of serving Members at our space — for the day, week, month, or even longer. Here’s what some of our Members who are choosing to come in have to say about coworking right now, and why it’s helping them:
“It’s been great to have the option to leave the house when I need energetic boundaries between home and work. The space feels calm and friendly, a welcome relief from the heaviness of current times.” — Katie Gleason, LCSW
“For me I needed to have a space to concentrate on work without distractions. Working at home right now, with two kids and a wife who's also trying to work from home is really challenging. I feel remarkably safe here (at La Suprema). It’s open, clean, and comfortable based on the way you have it set up. And ease of access is a big bonus - 24/7 access - on your own time. Another thing is supporting a local business. I checked out some other spaces that just didn’t have the Tucson vibe.” — Chad McGlamery, Pfizer
“Working from La Suprema gives me space from my house and allows me to be in a creative environment. There’s coffee, fast internet, and it fosters productivity for me. It separates home life and work life. It’s also super clean, and allows me to have a professional space to take zoom calls and phone calls.” — José Muñoz, Propelogy
“It’s great to get out of the house which is full of distraction and into a quiet environment where I can focus. Also having a space outside the house where I can work helps me to keep work at work, so I’m not bringing work into everything I do at home.” — Kurt Bullock, Produce Dept.
"Coworking has been really helpful for me during this time. Even coming in just two days a week makes a huge difference in breaking up my working-from-home, every-day-is-the-same fugue. The change of scenery and seeing (at a safe distance) some friendly faces definitely gives me more energy to power through the week. Thanks for being there for me and for pMD during this time!" — Adam Kenney, pMD
As a Tucson coworking space, we’re proud to create an environment that is as clean and safe as possible so you can join the community that’s here to help you be as successful as possible.
To learn more, reach out to us at hello@lasupremaworks.com