okcCoCo Stirs Young Professionals' Interest

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Fingers are crossed as new unemployment numbers are set to be released next week. That's following a record number of jobless claims filed in the state last month, and while it's been a rough ride for many, one group is benefiting from this bad economy.

One man took an empty building in downtown and turned it into a place where day dreamers can become business believers. Dustin Brewer is doing what he's always wanted to do, work for himself.

"Now I do freelance Web design for agencies and direct client work and stuff like that," Brewer said.

Check out Dustin Brewer's Web design portfolio.

Brewer was laid off in December and decided now was the time to pursue his dream, but he lacked the office space and connections to make it happen. So he came to okcCoCo.

"There's a lot of people you can feed off of for anything you might be working on at the time," Brewer said.

The Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative, or okcCoCo, is a new place for young entrepreneurs to come and network with one another. Its co-founder says the goal is to grow Oklahoma's business and artistic community.

"What we've seen in the time that we've been open is that people have worked together to form new partnerships, even start new businesses," okcCoCo Co-Founder Derrick Parkhurst said.

Parkhurst says the biggest benefit is the work space. There's an open area that feels more like a coffee shop, but if privacy is what a client needs, he's got that too.

"In this open area we have a space where someone who can't quite afford an office can still have a professional work environment," Parkhurst said. "They can leave their stuff overnight. They can expect it'll be secure; it's a secure area."

Parkhurst hopes his business provides the people, place and position in today's competitive workforce to launch successful careers down the road.

"We're trying to grow not only the technical community, but the ENT community and the creative community," Parkhurst said. "There's a real synergy right now in this city going on between those three groups and we're hoping to be the one place where they can come together."

There's a monthly membership fee for users, but Parkhurts says he offers a discount for those who've been laid off. He calls it the down-and-out plan.

Later this month the business will open its doors for free trial run if you'd like to check it out.

A free day of networking at okcCoCo, also called "Jelly" is scheduled for later this month.

This month's Jelly is scheduled for August 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.

A Jelly is an ad hoc coworking event. It is an opportunity for independent and freelance professionals, as well as corporate workers looking to get off-site, to work in a shared space for all or part of a day.