Drew Tyler is a local entrepreneur who wants to change what it means to “go to work.” With thousands of Utahns working as free-lancers, telecommuting from home or driving in to the office, Betaloft is the newest word in alternative creative coworking space.
Opening its doors in June of 2009, Drew Tyler’s Betaloft is right in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City on 200 S and 357 W. This contemporary new office space caters to anyone looking for a “positive flow” work space. “Our members really come from everywhere,” says Drew, “we have web designers, a PR consultant, 3D animators, and even one person who consults with defense attorneys. So we really have the capability of accommodating almost anyone.”
So why use Betaloft? Why not just work from home? “Well there are things that you get at Betaloft that you can’t get at home,” Drew explains. “There’s a whole creative flow that happens when you work around other people. And it really doesn’t matter if they’re in your industry at all, there’s just a vibe that flows through the office really well. This type of a work space allows for a transparency, where [people] can share resources, overhead, and ideas. Some of our space is set aside as private offices, some is open but permanent to the people working there, and some of it is really like a coffee shop where you can come in and work wherever you would like.”
Sarah Buhr is a publicist and a regular at Betaloft; she has been a member since July. “I was looking everywhere downtown for office space,” Sarah explains, “and everything else is just extremely overpriced. [Betaloft] has a conference room, game room and I love the networking and contacts I get from other members. It’s a really nice place to bring clients. [Unless you have a private office] there’s no privacy though, so you have to be really careful with sensitive information.”
Rustin Jessen is another regular member at Betaloft. He was finding it hard working in his house to get anything done, so he started looking for alternatives. “You really get a lot done when you have people around you. The energy flow is just amazing,” he says. “I like to call it the ‘water cooler factor.'”
Drew hopes that Betaloft will start attracting members who may already have offices but have longer commutes. “In this day and age,” he says, “many employers are fine if you only want to drive to the office two or three days a week and work elsewhere the rest of the time. Betaloft offers that space closer to home which helps save energy but still let’s employers know their employees aren’t just sitting at home.”
Betaloft even functions like an Apple “Genius Bar” for those in the tech or video production world. Drew’s background is in video production and has been known to help members out frequently with equipment, guidance and feedback.
So could this work for you? Betaloft charges either by the day or by the month. With prices running anywhere from $20 to $550 it’s easy to see why some have turned to this affordable alternative.
By Salt Lake Digs Contributor, Eric Ethington