Westwey Club Coworking Community Announced for Historic Turks Head Building, Will Open in Early 2020 and Cater to Creative Economy, Startup Tech, Small Business & Government Sectors in Rhode Island
JANUARY 2020: Aurelius Coworks CEO Tom Nardacci’s third coworking development project will occupy the entire 11th floor of the iconic Turks Head Building in downtown Providence
Aurelius Coworks, a socially-responsible development company based in Troy, New York, today announced its first out-of-state coworking community project to be established in Providence, Rhode Island: Westwey Club. Final designs are being drawn for the new coworking and flexible office space, with an expected opening in early 2020.
Westwey Club, located on the 11th floor of the Turks Head Building in downtown Providence, will be a coworking community focused on supporting the creative economy, startup tech, small businesses and government sectors in Rhode Island. The nearly 10,000-square-foot space will feature a mix of private office suites, open coworking spaces, conference rooms and meeting areas for its members.
Aurelius Coworks currently owns and operates two coworking communities – the award-winning Troy Innovation Garage and the newer Bull Moose Club that serves the political and governmental sector – both of which are located in New York’s Capital Region. The communities are home to more than 60 companies and more than 300 members.
Startups, soloprenuers, associations, remote and enterprise teams, small businesses and venture capital-backed tech companies occupy Aurelius’s Upstate New York locations. Companies and founders located in Aurelius communities in New York have attracted more than $70 million in venture capital or strategic investments.
Buoyed by the success of these locations and Aurelius’s work to expand flexible office space in New York’s Capital Region for other real estate owners and operators, Aurelius Coworks founder and CEO Tom Nardacci has turned his focus to middle market cities that have a need for more flexible commercial real estate options in order to support robust and growing startup sectors. Zac Conley, managing principal of Cresa Albany, and his team represented Aurelius Coworks in the search for new spaces, including this location in Providence.
“Westwey Club location is a perfect match for the mission of Aurelius Coworks and our desire to play an important role in contributing to the development of a livable, walkable city and a downtown that is clearly on the upswing,” said Nardacci. “Aurelius is working on plans to build communities in middle markets around the Northeast, and it makes perfect sense for us to invest in Providence. Just like we have seen in New York, Westwey Club will have a direct positive impact on Rhode Island’s creative economy and startup sector.”
Nardacci helped put coworking on the Upstate New York map with the launch of Troy Innovation Garage in 2017 in the heart of a resurgent downtown Troy. The building once housed an automobile dealership, which sold Buffalo-built Pierce Arrows in the 1920s and sat mostly vacant for 30 years until Nardacci bought it and invested more than $1.5 million to gut renovate the building to create the Innovation Garage as a home to startup tech and creative sector companies. It is now home to more than 125 members. The project was named “Innovative Development of the Year” by the Capital Region Building Owners & Managers Association.
Following the opening of Troy Innovation Garage, Nardacci introduced coworking to an underserved sector in need of flexible office space in New York’s Capital City. Bull Moose Club, located in the heart of downtown Albany, features picturesque views overlooking the New York State Capitol. Bull Moose has a mix of companies with business at the State Capitol, including software developers, health care technology, trade associations and unions, public affairs and marketing firms.
For information, including about office suite reservations or coworking memberships, please visit westweyclub.com, call (401) 244-7093 or email [email protected].
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About Aurelius Coworks
Aurelius Coworks is a socially responsible company that develops, owns, and operates coworking communities and startup ecosystems in middle markets and downtowns undergoing revitalization. Aurelius Coworks connects its members to the surrounding ecosystem and contributes to the regional economy where its properties are located. The company’s spaces are meticulously built, the communities carefully cultivated, and a focus is placed on infusing the right mix of business and social programming in each community. Current properties include Troy Innovation Garage in Troy, NY, and Bull Moose Club in Albany, NY.
About Tom Nardacci, founder & CEO
Prior to starting Aurelius Coworks, Tom Nardacci built Gramercy Communications, one of New York’s leading public affairs firms, which he has owned since 2005. He previously worked for the Alliance for Downtown New York, lower Manhattan’s business improvement district where he worked on post-9/11 rebuilding efforts. He began his career as a Press Secretary in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill for a Member of the US House of Representatives. Tom is a graduate of Columbia University and Syracuse University. He is the recipient of several awards, including “New Patroon Award” by the Albany Roundtable civic group, “Hall of Fame,” for the Boys & Girls Clubs of So. Rensselaer County, “Creative Spirit Award” by the Arts Center of the Capital Region, “40 Under 40” by the Albany Business Review, and the “Business Leadership Award” by the Albany Italian-American Heritage Association to name a few. Nardacci also was previously appointed to several boards and commissions by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, including the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center and the New York State Heritage Area Advisory Council.