THRIVE Coworking, a coworking and social enterprise, opened to the public Feb. 2 in downtown Gainesville.
Located on 100 Main St. SW, THRIVE Coworking is within walking distance of many retail shops, restaurants and businesses located on the Historic Gainesville Square. The coworking space offers entrepreneurs, freelancers and professionals flexible work and office spaces based on a monthly membership.
“The Office pricing is based on square footage and dependent on what their needs are. Anybody can come in during business hours and work for a price for a day and then we have different tiers of coworking memberships,” Gainesville Community Manager Natalie Salvador said.
THRIVE members have 24/7 access to the building via a mobile application. The app will give members access to a private internet network, conference rooms, a podcast studio and a community kitchen stocked with coffee, drinks and snacks.
“We have breakfast throughout the month, happy hours throughout the month, and lunches throughout the month. So, you know, fostering that community,” Chief Revenue Officer Chris Smith said.
According to Smith, THRIVE Coworking was founded in 2015 by Ramon Gonzales with a community-based concept that uses a people-first model.
“We really want to encourage community and bring people together in the community to have a heart for service and a heart for generosity. We recently rolled out a non-profit that we call THRIVE Initiative that we incorporate in all of our co-working locations,” Smith said.
THRIVE Initiative helps charities, enterprises and communities through a micro-donation platform that rewards individual donors with discounts from local small businesses, he said.
According to Smith, the need for a hybrid working space was in high demand for Gainesville. Prior to opening the location on the downtown square, THRIVE's office spaces were 67 percent booked, he said.
The coworking business will open additional locations in Cumming, Duluth and Suwannee in 2023.
