“Be Global – Work Local” luncheon conference May 29 at The Satellite
April 25, 2009
The Monterey Bay International Trade Association and Satellite Telework Centers are co-hosting a luncheon conference on global virtual offices, online collaboration and teleworking on Friday, May 29 at The Satellite in Felton.
Presentations will cover cost-effective, efficient methodologies and technologies for building businesses locally and globally through virtual global offices and local telework centers. Also, how small businesses can effectively compete in the global marketplace utilizing Web 2.0 collaboration tools and social networking technology for business communications will be presented.
For more information, contact Tony Livoti, MBITA president at 831.335.4780 or tlivoti@mbita.org.
MBITA is a non-profit international trade center dedicated to providing its members and clients with trade promotion services for markets worldwide. MBITA specializes in advance global eCommerce technologies to maximize global trade opportunities. For more info, visit http://www.mbita.org.
The Satellite is go for launch
April 24, 2009
Four months in the making and we are open for business
We’ve technically been in soft launch for a little over a week, but we’ve decided to make it official and open the doors for business. We’ve already got full and part time members using the space, we’ve received tremendously valuable feedback and the support from the local community has been gratifying.
Here are some images from Jeff Luhn’s photo shoot. And here’s our launch press release:
LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS OPEN SATELLITE TELEWORK CENTERS IN FELTON
First of a planned nationwide business providing professional office space for commuters, home-based business owners and area entrepreneurs
FELTON, Calif., April 23, 2009 – Three San Lorenzo Valley entrepreneurs have opened Satellite Telework Centers, offering high tech office and workspace in downtown Felton designed to appeal to Highway 17 commuters, home-based business owners and local entrepreneurs.
“Thousands of people commute from the San Lorenzo Valley to Silicon Valley every day,” said CEO Barbara Sprenger. “We’re offering people an alternative to sitting in traffic and dealing with the distractions and isolation that come with working from home.”
The center, located in the former Union Bank building on Highway 9 in Felton, offers private offices, cubicles and open workspace with all the amenities of professional office spaces, including videoconferencing, conference rooms, T1 connectivity and business-class office equipment. Individuals purchase subscriptions to use the facilities a few hours a day, a few days a week or access it 24/7.
“We’ve structured The Satellite to work the way people want to work,” Sprenger said. “Our goal is to make this a comfortable, extremely efficient place to work for those days when you don’t need to go into the office.”
Telework facilities were originally promoted by the government as a way to alleviate traffic congestion and respond in the event of a natural disaster that would keep workers from getting in to their offices in major cities. The concept has recently found resurgence among coworking facilities in big cities, where entrepreneurs gather and leverage each other’s skills to build their businesses.
“Telecommuting one or two days a week is great, but a lot of people we talk to complain about the isolation and the distractions they have to deal with that come from working at home,” Sprenger said. “We’re also seeing a lot of interest from home-based business owners who need office space one or two days a week or just need a conference room for a couple of hours for client meetings.”
The founders, who include Sprenger’s husband Ken Meshke and Felton resident Jim Graham, incorporated a number of green technologies into the building, including sun tunnels for natural light, zero VOC paint, LED lighting and an power conservation system that only turns off when rooms are not being used. Access to the building, the private offices and conference rooms are controlled using RFID cards that manage billing and maintain security.
“The system knows what you’re using, so space really can be shared efficiently, saving everyone cost,” Sprenger said. “And from an aesthetic perspective, we’ve really designed this to be the office we’ve always dreamed of working in.”
Recent studies show that teleworking and telecommuting are on the rise, even in a down economy. According to a February study by WorldatWork, the number of Americans working remotely at least one day per month increased from 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008 – equating to roughly 11 percent of the population. The authors of the new book on teleworking – “Undress for Success” report that 14% of Americans have changed jobs to shorten the commute, 46% of companies that allow telework say it has reduced attrition, and 95% of employers say telework has a high impact on employee retention.
“While face time with coworkers is still important, studies show that employees are up to 40% more productive when they don’t have to deal with the constant distractions of being in the office,” Sprenger said. “Employers benefit from improved morale, reduced facilities costs and increased retention.”
The founders plan to make the Satellite available on evenings and weekends for business classes, author readings and community group meetings.
“We’re strong believers in ongoing education and want to build a network where people can come to learn how to create a business plan, how to use social media for business and use our videoconferencing system for distance learning programs,” Sprenger said.
The team is starting with a May 29 event co-sponsored by the Monterey Bay International Trade Association with presentations on global virtual offices, online collaboration and teleworking.
About Satellite Telework Centers
Satellite Telework Centers provides membership based private offices, cubicles and open workspace for commuters, home-based business owners and entrepreneurs. The first Satellite is in Felton, California, and founders intend to expand the company with Satellites throughout California. For more information, contact 831.222.2100 or visit http://www.thesatellliteinc.com .
Photo shoot – first customers – teleworking on the rise
April 16, 2009
Santa Cruz photographer Jeff Luhn came in earlier this week for a photo shoot. We’ll be using the imagery on the website, in collateral and everywhere else.
The Satellite is nearly ready for launch – just waiting for some final furniture and a little tweaking to the technology – and we already have our first customers! They’ve been tremendously patient with the occasional hammering, power saws and such, and so far the feedback on the facility has been great.
(In fact, as I wrote this, another person signed up to use one of our private offices).
Interesting news on the teleworking front. The industry analyst firm Forrester Research reported recently that 34 million Americans work remotely occasionally and the number will jump to 63 million in 2016.
Some highlights from Forrester’s report include:
- Collaboration tools like instant messaging, Web conferencing, team sites, and desktop video conferencing make it ever-easier to stay in touch and contribute to the project.
- Employees point out that they will save time in commuting and can get more done for their employers with that time. The benefits of work flexibility and leaving gas in the tank are also real.
- Managers and other high-influence employees are most likely to work from home regularly or occasionally. And that means their growing comfort with the ability to monitor and manage employee productivity will spill over into their support for a telecommuting workforce.
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The Satellite Twitter
- 11 hours ago--This Caterham Super 7 is parked out in front of The Satellite - link
- 4 days ago--Thank you to @cruzio and @superg for putting on the Internet TV seminaro here at The Satellite. A good time was had by all.
- 4 days ago--People just starting to arrive for @Cruzio 's free Internet TV seminar here @TheSatellite
- 4 days ago--Today is "First Friday" free #coworking / #telework day @ The Satellite in Felton. Come on down (or up if you're in Santa Cruz).
- 5 days ago--Reminder: We'll be doing our free #coworking / #telework day at the Satellite in Felton tomorrow. Also free @Cruzio Internet TV class @ noon
- Mar 2nd--Hey, it's American Telecommuting Week - link #telework #coworking
- 11 hours ago--This Caterham Super 7 is parked out in front of The Satellite - link