By CASEY NEILL
The Casey Cardinia Business Hub is expanding into a new space in Narre Warren.
Waterman Business Centres and City of Casey worked together to open a collaborative office space at 64 Victor Crescent about three years ago.
Cardinia Shire Council joined the partnership, and demand fuelled expansion into a space that’s double the size in the building next door.
From Friday 1 July, the 58 Victor Crescent site will provide co-working space for up to 150 people, serviced offices, and meeting rooms.
Under the CCBH concept, businesses can rent an office in a size to suit their needs or sign up for a virtual membership to access meeting and co-working space when they need it.
The hub provides the benefits of working in the Melbourne CBD without the travel or expense.
Creator Neville Waterman said people in small business were often isolated and could achieve a lot through connecting to the right business community.
“People just naturally start to collaborate, they refer, they support each other, they help each other, they give each other ideas,” he said.
Mr Waterman came up with the CCBH concept accidentally.
“We have an accounting and financial planning business,” he said.
“We invited some people to come and rent some office space from us next door.
“We said to them ‘as we grow, you’re going to need to move on’ but we became friends and we enjoyed their company and they enjoyed ours.
“Their business was growing, ours was growing and so we kept doing it.
“We realised that we were doing something that was a really good idea.”
The new hub will officially open on Friday 29 July with guest speakers, lunch, tours and small business seminars.
In the lead-up there’s a competition to win a year in a new office valued at $15,000, 25 prizes of six months of flexi co-work desk space use, and 50 six-month flexi meeting memberships.
Visit www.ccbh.com.au for more information.
