By Brian Conway/Next Pittsburgh
As more workers shed the conventional 9 to 5 office life, the number of coworking spaces continues to rise, and Pittsburgh is no exception.
Next month, New York-based Industrious opens on the 31st floor of 1 PPG Place. Chicago’s Level Office purchased a building at 606 Liberty Ave., Regus just opened Spaces Bakery Square in East Liberty, and New York coworking giant WeWork’s arrival, while not official, seems like the worst-kept secret in town.
With such an influx of national brands, local coworking spaces are looking to establish a niche to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, and establish new revenue streams.
According to the 2016 Flexible Workspace Review, the flexible workspace market increased nationally at a rate of 10 percent in 2015. The number of coworking spaces nationally is expected to rise as the gig economy grows and more and more businesses offer their employees the option to telecommute.
When StartUptown opened in 2006, it was Pittsburgh’s first coworking space. “Coworking wasn’t even a word or concept at the time,” says Tad Hale, co-director of StartUptown.
Today there around 30…