Industrious brought its nationwide concept to St. Louis in May 2015 and has been on the rise here ever since.

In addition to the 10,000+ square feet in St. Louis, Industrious is currently expanding across the country, taking its blend of co-working and private offices to Nashville, Austin and Los Angeles. They are also building out an expansion to their space on Broad Street in Philadelphia, where they’ve had a waitlist for some time.

But in St. Louis, Local startups like Ultimate Software, a cloud-based solution for HR, payroll and talent management; RateYourSeats.com, a website with aggregated listings that help you search, compare and buy tickets; and GeodataIT, an innovative and advanced technology company, have recently made Industrious’ St. Louis location their home, along with companies like Garbshare and The Normal Brand.

A Co-working Space to Call Your Own

Though each city’s elegant space has its own distinct vibe, they all offer the same option for small businesses.

“At each location the private offices are cleanly organized and separated by glass walls with touches of reclaimed wood furniture and comfortable couches,”says Emma Dively, Industrious’ St. Louis community manager. “It gives Industrious a cohesive feel no matter what city you’re in. And the café is always the focal point. The party always ends up in the kitchen—it’s inevitable.”

One feature that the Industrious team works hard to achieve in St. Louis is the ability to connect with link-minded entrepreneurs and professionals. “Having a really strong community is especially important to us here in St. Louis, says Dively.

“A lot of the programming is focused on the members. With events like a beer and popcorn happy hour and a monthly bloody mary bar, [our] team is always looking for more opportunities to treat [our] members well and give them a sense of community.”

Networking Opportunities

“More and more we’re also looking for ways to bring in non-members,” says Dively. “We really focus on making sure our members are well taken care of and making sure they have the opportunity to meet and mingle with each other. But we also want to find ways to allow them to network with non-members and share our amazing space with the broader St. Louis community.”

This expansion into the greater St. Louis community is evident in their partner events with outside networking and community groups like Treehouse Networking, who recently hosted an event in the Industrious space. This has prompted Dively to begin hosting their own events like a recent happy hour that was open to non-members.

Amenities That Feel Like Home

But it isn’t just the sense of community and belonging that draws startups and entrepreneurs to Industrious. The spacious, chic common areas for clients and events go far beyond a desk and a chair to deliver the perfect office environment.

Relaxation rooms and concierge services help ease the stress of running a small business. And served daily, local St. Louis treats like Blueprint coffee, artisanal pastries, fresh fruit and local beer are just a few of the perks—and maybe the reason why everyone always ends up hanging out together in the café.