Modern space to ‘bridge’ work community

Bridgeworks features modern workspace, high-speed Wi-Fi and printing, conference rooms, café and kitchen facilities and private offices.

Courtesy Bridgeworks, Facebook

Bridgeworks co-founder Graham Beck, left, with his father and co-founder Phil Beck, City Council President Len Torres, City Manager Jack Schnirman and Long Beach’s director of economic development, Patricia Bourne, at the facility’s opening networking reception on March 23.

Courtesy City of Long Beach, Facebook

Long Beach Residents, entrepreneurs and local business attended Bridgeworks’ networking event on March 23.

Courtesy City of Long Beach, Facebook

The 8,000 square-foot building located at the foot of the Long Beach Bridge is an alternative to conventional office rentals.

Courtesy Bridgeworks, Facebook

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Two Long Beach residents opened Bridgeworks, a co-working facility that will cater to Long Beach’s new wave of remote-working entrepreneurs and professionals, earlier this month, with the goal of making the city more attractive to growing businesses.

“It’s a lot easier today to run your business from your phones, your laptop — there’s a lot more you can do today with cloud-based infrastructure,” Bridgeworks Co-founder Philip Beck said at a Chamber of Commerce meeting at the new facility on March 21. “But you still need some infrastructure, and that’s the problem that we saw and we continue to see locally.”

Beck and his partner — his son, Graham — said that the working population in Long Beach has evolved. Beyond the bricks-and-mortar bars, restaurants and hotels in town that comprise much of the chamber membership, there are young entrepreneurs building a business in their garage, web designers working from home and the East Coast manager of a huge West Coast tech company — and they all need space to work.

“The way we work has changed,” Graham said in a statement. “Bridgeworks facilitates this need by allowing our members to enjoy a modern workspace. We intend to foster a collaborative environment for emerging and up-and-coming businesses that want to balance work, life and community, and work their way, on their own terms while enjoying Long Beach’s beachfront lifestyle.”

The 8,000-square-foot building is at 780 Long Beach Boulevard, at the foot of the Long Beach Bridge. Its workspaces are an alternative to conventional rented offices, with member benefits including high-speed Wi-Fi and printing, conference rooms, café and kitchen facilities and 24/7 access to the building. Rates begin at $45 per day and $450 per month. Private offices are also available for $1,500 to $2,500 per month, for a minimum of two months. Unlike other office spaces, customers are not locked into yearly agreements and can cancel their membership when they want, Graham said.

Though members have been using the space for a few weeks, the official opening took place during a networking reception on March 23, at where the founders, along with city officials, mingled with local professionals.