StartupSD

August 9th was National Coworking Day, prompting entrepreneurs all over San Diego county to celebrate by filling area coworking spaces. Mayor Jerry Sanders helped introduce the day to San Diego with a proclamation at the grand opening of Co-Merge, a new coworking space in downtown San Diego, in July.

We spent National Coworking Day at Co-Merge, chatting with partner Robert Conrad about the buzz surrounding the new coworking venture, Mayor Sanders’ appearance, and the events that will be coming to the venue in the coming months.

As a new player in the San Diego coworking community, Co-Merge is now working on building its profile in the San Diego community. With some decent exposure in publications like San Diego Magazine, the space has generated some buzz for its forward-thinking design, high technology, and fresh presence in downtown.

“We offer sophisticated space and community,” says Robert, who often works among Co-Merge members. “We want to build a community here that adds value to someone’s business, someone’s work/life balance, someone’s day.”

Co-Merge has also played a part in bringing attention to National Coworking Day. As part of the San Diego Coworking Alliance, the Co-Merge partners learned about the August 9th date and wanted to make it a part of their grand opening ceremony. They reached out to Mayor Sanders’ office, and the mayor came out to the party to proclaim the day and acknowledge the coworking trend in San Diego.

“We were really pleased with the turnout,” Robert says about the ceremony. “[We were] happy to see the mayor here supporting the collaborative workplace and coworking effort in San Diego, which seems to be growing substantially.”

Co-Merge is looking forward to a full calendar of events being held at the space, many of which have been scheduled through the Coworking Alliance and SD Tech Scene. “We think they’re going to add a lot of value to our members, having these regularly-scheduled events in how to be a better working professional, and certainly [the same for] the outside events, the [Skillmasters] iOS training, anime events, and Startup Weekend.” The events aimed at improving professional skills will be included in membership packages but are available to others on a per-session basis.

In addition to the convenient features Co-Merge provides in its community events and functional space, parking is now easier for downtown coworkers — four-hour parking and a card-reading meter are being instituted on the street in front of the facility’s building, and the $10/hr drop-in fee includes free parking at a neighboring Ace lot.

For more information about becoming a member at Co-Merge, which is located at 330 A. Street in downtown San Diego, visit their website at www.co-merge.com. For a list of other coworking spaces in San Diego county, check out this guide.