Parkites without an office to call their own have a new place to close their next big business deal or to hammer out the monthly report their boss is asking for.

Eddie Rubio recently opened The Office Coworking in Kimball Junction, offering private offices, desks and open space for rent for people in Summit County who need a place to do business. He owns a similar business in Argentina, capitalizing on the increasing popularity of coworking, but realized recently that Park City would be the perfect place for another location.

The idea struck him when his wife urged him to get out of the house one day while he was working from home. He eventually went to a number of local coffee shops and discovered there were dozens of people there trying to do business on their laptops. Rubio said it was clear those people would benefit from a better work space.

The Office Coworking is not the first business of its kind in Park City — Assemble Park City and Gateway Office Business Center are two others — but Rubio is aiming to offer something with a different kind of atmosphere.

“I think there is a need,” he said. “I think there are quite a lot of people in town who do need this type of environment. … Our idea is to be a little more informal and be what Park City is, which is a relaxed, great community where people can feel comfortable.”

The Office Coworking offers a variety of flexible options for customers. Private offices, complete with access to a conference space and receptionist service, runs $1,300 a month. A permanent desk in the office’s main area costs $450 a month and comes with a dedicated phone line and package handling. A $225 flex desk package allows a customer access to open seating and high-speed internet, and there are also daily passes available.

Rubio said today’s interconnected world means fewer people are working in traditional offices. But more people are discovering that working from home brings a host of challenges, from avoiding distractions to finding an appropriate work-life balance to coping with a lack of human interaction.

“When I work out of my house, and I’m there all day, I go nuts,” he said. “Sometimes you need social interaction, even if it’s limited, just to say, ‘Hello.’ Sometimes that energy drives you and keeps you going. So I think an atmosphere like this gives you the ability to get what you need to get done. It takes away some of the distractions that you might have at home or a coffee shop.”

Rubio added that startup companies may benefit most of all from coworking. Having access to space like that at The Office Coworking allows young businesses to grow without having to sink money into the overhead of leasing more expensive offices.
“You don’t have to invest a lot of money,” he said. “You have some flexibility in a low-cost environment and can start to build your business. We’ve had a lot of businesses grow, then start to become something, then they move to their own office.”

For more information on The Office Coworking, located at 1182 Center Drive, visit theofficeparkcity.com.