In 2007, there were only 14 co-working spaces in the entire country. Fast forward 10 years and the U.S. now has more than 4,000 co-working spaces. That number is forecasted to reach nearly 6,000 in 2021, taking up more than 27 million square feet of office space. But shared workspaces and alternative officing are not just a big city trend reserved for tech giants like Denver and Boulder. Westminster is home to several co-working spaces that provide productive and flexible work environments, while promoting community building.

And while co-working seems to offer universal benefits – including opportunities to socialize with other co-workers, increasing motivation, productivity and happiness – not all co-working spaces have a universal look and mission. Here’s a look at three distinct ones in Westminster.

DaVinci Institute

What started in 1997 as a futuristic think tank, DaVinci Institute expanded over the years to include a co-working operation. In 2015, the DaVinci Institute moved to its current 14,000-square-foot Westminster headquarters, and expanded to include 35-40 small businesses, flexibly housed in an idea-rich work environment.

Located at 9191 Sheridan Blvd., DaVinci Institute is a business pioneer, conducting research in 2004 that assisted in bringing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Denver, as well as establishing Colorado’s first coding bootcamp in 2012. Today DaVinci continues to build community through popular events, and offers advisory and training services with a futuristic bent. More information at www.davinciinstitute.com.

SolderWorks

SolderWorks opened in 2017 as an innovation lab catering to technology entrepreneurs. Their massive space, located at 6060 W. 91st Ave., is what one pictures when talking about modern-day co-working spaces. Boasting high-end hardware prototype tools, and 100 MB of fiber internet, SolderWorks puts the “space” in co-working space, offering a cutting room, print room, solder room, phone rooms, conference rooms, and training rooms, as well as a bar and café.

SolderWorks also recently launched the M@S Innovation Fund to provide opportunities for startups to receive sponsored membership and industry mentorship. The fund’s mission is to “support the next wave of early stage entrepreneurs and innovators by providing a space where ideas accelerate from thought to thing.” More information here and at www.solderworks.com

Intelligent Office

Currently, there are more than 38 million home-based businesses in the U.S. And while some owners are content working from home, others quickly need to scale and expand, requiring a more professional setting. Intelligent Office, located at 1499 W. 120th Ave. is ideal for businesses on this path. They bring big business infrastructure to any-sized business by offering a variety of space options – private, co-working, shared offices – along with on-demand administrative services. This can include phone answering, payroll distribution and scheduling appointments. This allows businesses to use both the space and services only when needed, encouraging them to grow wisely. More information at www.intelligentoffice.com.