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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 2 1 F O C U S C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T want now, when they're not interact- ing as much, he says. Most of the leases are month-to-month, and it'll be easy to switch back to leasing larger spaces when the time comes. "It can pivot quickly," Carr says. at said, the basement of the for- mer bank building may be developed into a traditional coworking area, with three or four seating areas and some private offices, says Carr, who's also a partner in Bath's Union + Co. at plan may take shape this summer. A rural pulse While Union + Co., like ink Tank and other coworking spaces, lost a lot of floating members, "Our private office space has been full and we have a wait list for it," says Ireland. at's also true at another cowork- ing space in Belfast. e Office, which opened in 2012, underwent a major renovation adding space and private offices right before the pandemic hit. e Office and spaces like it are vital to an area like Belfast, says Monet Brazier, a member and Belfast area real estate broker. ey're "the pulse of the community" in smaller-town Maine. "I think it's evolving into what it's going to be like in the next several years," she says. In many cases, such spaces are a necessity. At Union + Co., "We're sur- rounded by peninsulas with terrible wifi," says Mandy Reynolds, another Union + Co. partner. People in surrounding towns are used to coming for Bath to shop, eat and more, and coming to a cowork- ing space there is just part of it. She doesn't see that changing. Smaller spaces in smaller communities Ireland says the future success of coworking in Maine is about scale. "What we're seeing is smaller spaces in smaller communities," he says. "ey want remote working, they want coworking because they want that private space, they need that dedicated space to be productive, but they want that sense of community." e industry is also boosted by the state's Economic and Community Development Department, which oversees the Coworking Development Fund. Created in 2015, the fund was dormant for a few years until 2019, when Gov. Janet Mills took office. It's awarded 16 grants of up to $20,000 to coworking spaces throughout the state and more is budgeted for this year. "We look at it as not just cowork- ing, but as collaborative space," says Martha Bentley, DECD director of economic development coordination. She says that many of the cowork- ing locations have maker space or are innovation hybrids. "We still see collaborative workspace as important to our economic develop- ment strategy," she says. In the "short long run" it's a big asset to drawing people into the state, and in the longer term it adds to the vitality of towns and cities, bringing people downtown who gather, eat, shop and more. Bentley sees a future where large- project focused groups will work near each other to collaborate, something that already happens in some of the spaces. It's about more than just people working in small offices and sharing conference rooms and wifi. "It comes with a community of other like-minded people," she says. Can't put a price tag on it An example of that community has emerged since the pandemic. A biweekly meeting for those interested in applying for the state grants has turned into a roundtable for represen- tatives from coworking spaces across the state to get together and share information, whether they're applying for grants or not. Bentley says she's impressed with the resilience and "stick-to-it-ness" of the community and how they support one another. Feldman, in Biddeford, says that in the end that culture is what will separate coworking from landlords with a lot of office space looking to capitalize. It's hard to convey the commu- nity feeling that grows in coworking spaces, he says. "You just can't put a price tag on it," he says. "But it's a necessity." Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz www.GawronTurgeon.com cPort Credit Union, Portland Latitude at Clark's Pond Progress As we progress through this multi- building project, building one is completed, with 8-units still available, and the next building is coming online in March 2021. Let us help you progress your next project. Call Laura Blanchette at PM Construction Co., Inc. (207)282-7697 It's been more difficult to maintain that community culture. But our members miss it, they want it, and they can't wait to have it back. — Sean Ireland Union + Co., Bath

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