It’s quiet here though – there’s lots of empty offices and we’d love some company! There are small offices that are perfect for just one or two people, and there are larger offices that can accomodate a dozen people. There are conference rooms here that we all share, there’s even a pool table.

If you’re a Boston area business looking for a real office space with all the fixin’s of a business environment, let me know and I’ll send you over to the new landlord and make sure you get special care! I have nothing to gain here except having more neighbors!

Oh, the space is very funky too – great for Internet companies, media companies, startups, non-stuffy businesses.

Some of our awesome and friendly neighbors:

SCVNGR- SCVNGR is an interactive texting scavenger hunt that uses proprietary cellular technology to send out clues via SMS (short message service). The SCVNGR service enables the players to access several useful features such as texting SCORE to receive real-time results on how they are faring against other teams or texting HINT to SCVNGR’s short code to receive help solving a particularly tough clue.

Advantage Reprographics – Advantage Reprographics is dedicated to eliminating the cost and headache in managing document histories, printing and delivery. We focus on tailoring custom software to help streamline print output. We have State of the art printing and scanning equipment by Oce and HP, used to turn around the highest quality, right away! Give us a call and we’ll be right there to help you out.

PFL Printworks – CD & DVD duplication, Posters, Flyers, Press Kits

Exxcel Model & Talent – Exxcel Model & Talent is a full service model/talent agency representing models of all types such as female/male fashion, commercial print, child and plus size. Talent representation includes actors for film, television, commercials and theater, as well as singers and dancers.

Brand Networks – “If your Brand is ready to hit the social scene, we’d like to help. Our BrandFans methodology will ensure you network with the right people. Our BrandSolutions are social technologies that connect you with your fans. And we surround it all with BrandServices from social and creative humans just like you.”

SEEDA – The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is here to assist companies looking to set up and grow their UK and European operations from a base in the South East.  Our purpose is to promote the growth of the economy and creation of jobs in this dynamic region of the UK.  We provide professional, free and confidential advice and our service can save your company valuable management time and money.  SEEDA works in conjunction with UK Trade & Investment.

Jetpack – Jet Pack is a comprehensive web marketing package for small and medium sized businesses. Each account gets a dedicated internet marketing specialist to setup, manage and optimize for the best results. Our hands-on approach drives more traffic and provides higher conversion rates at an affordable level than full-time marketing agencies.

Gaslight, south end Boston

Originally uploaded by Benee

Great new local joint, next to our office. Been open less than 1 week and I’ve been here 4 times.

Sent from my BlackBerry

My Office: Here’s my little corner office. I dig it. I spend more time here than I do at home, so I should like it.

Back in September of ’06 we (Citysquares) moved out and went virtual. Getting an office wasn’t a priority for a while, as it was saving us good money and we were still productive. But it didn’t take long for morale to take a dive. That was tough, really tough at time. Bob lives in Groton, about an hour away, and Chris, at the time, lived down the street from me. He’d come to my house and work in the basement with me – awkward, yes, but necessary for us to maintain sanity. Bob continued to work from home, in Groton.

Over time, morale took a big dive and we were losing productivity – starting to get frustrated with the situation. An office was immediately necessary but we really couldn’t afford anything, – then came the funding.

We were in the market for an office. Having had an office in the past I knew the operational headaches that come with a regular office – a lease, utilities, Internet service, phone service, parking, security, cleaning/maintenance, and all of the other bullshit that comes with it. Then, you end up spending 10-15% of your time dealing with all that – paying those bills, dealing with outages, changes, etc etc. Argh! No thank you! I need to be productive. We, as a company, need to be productive. A shared office space would be ideal.

We looked at HQ, Regus – no thanks. Too corporate, stodgy. If we were a law firm or a brokerage of some sort, sure why not. They were also pretty darn pricey. Then we checked out Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), in Kendall Square, Cambridge. Let’s just say we weren’t treated too well so that didn’t work out. We fell in love with TechSpace in the South End, but we weren’t too thrilled with the location and needed a little added incentive.

We dealt with Paul McBride, the site manager at TechSpace. Paul was very assertive at winning our business. We put up a bit of a fight and weren’t totally convinced that TechSpace would suit our needs. We had very specific and technical requirements, especially pertaining telecommunications. Paul bent over backwards for us and proved to us that we’d be a valued tenant here at TechSpace. Eventually he had to let go and leave us to make the decision, which we did after a ridiculous amount of internal discussion.

We moved into TechSpace in one day, about a month ago. We’re extremely pleased! Paul has proven to be a fantastic resource for us here, and the admin staff, Myrna and Grace, are top-notch. There’s a cafeteria-like set-up here run by a classy old-school Southie guy named Mike. He does a great job of serving up breakfast and lunch every day here.

The atmosphere at TechSpace Boston is creative, funky, fun, communal, casual, techie, dot-commy. It’s a great place. We’ve got these giant windows at our desks that open up – thrilling! We’ve got access to 4 bonded T-1s, chilling! Four conference rooms, a parking lot, our own private suite, a full IT infrastructure, good people in the neighboring suites and in the hallways, and most importantly – we’ve been super-productive since the day we moved in here.

TechSpace is a great space. If you’re in startup mode, or if you’re a small, innovative and creative company, check out TechSpace at 580 Harrison Ave, 4th floor, in the South End of Boston. Call Paul McBride at (617) 275-7000. He’ll treat you well if you tell him Ben sent you!

2007-05-31: Quick update to this. I just learned that one of the bigger tenants here is moving out in June. Lots of new space available. We may have to relocate down the hall. But also, I just learned that yet another dot-com is moving in here. This is really turning into a nice spot for Boston dot-coms!