BizVoice May / June 2017

BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – May/June 2017

And then there’s the gym, already nicknamed

“The Gem”. Refurbished hardwood floors and

a bowl structure that will include tenant and

sponsor logos around the perimeter add to

the attraction. A partnership with Klipsch,

whose CEO graduated from the former

Wood High School, will bring state-of-the-art

sound for special events and programs.

John Wechsler, CEO of Launch Fishers,

will guide the Launch Indy operation. He

shares that his grandfather played basketball

in the facility at one time.

“The physical structure is just incredible,”

he offers. “The courtyard for special events is

going to be a very unique space. Probably the

‘gem’ of the whole thing is that gymnasium.

It looks like it is taken straight out of

Hoosiers

I’m excited about the potential from a weekly

tech basketball league, which is already in the

works, to the capability of large-scale events.”

Wechsler adds that street events, on the

Meridian side of the building, are another

possibility.

On the amenity side, Hurley and company

have put together an attractive offering. It

starts with 5,000-square-foot pods that come

with two conference rooms, two smaller

meetup rooms, a kitchenette, movable walls

and data connections galore.

Hurley observes, “I didn’t get any

pushback from anybody saying, ‘Can you add

this wall there or put this window there?’ It

was, ‘Oh great, you’ve made those decisions

for me and I’m OK with it.’ It’s very simple

– big, open spaces, a couple of private areas

and lots of connectivity. You bring your

furniture and plug in and you’re ready to go.”

Ready, who had looked at the space

prior to The Union concept being fully

developed, affirms that rationale. “The

internet is included, they’ve got a small data

center on-site – all these things you would

normally have to deal with, they have taken

care of. It’s sort of a turnkey space. If

somebody vacated tomorrow, they would

probably have somebody else signed up by

the end of the week.”

The increased number of technology

companies in this portion of the state backs

up Ready’s assertion. “Two years ago, this

could have worked,” Hurley contends. “Ten

years ago, it wouldn’t have.”

Then you can add in the following key

elements:

• Leases, at what Hurley describes as 30%

below market value, that range from one

to three years

• A coffee house, free parking, workout

facility, bike storage and the locker room/

showers that were part of the old schools

• Access to other tech companies – both in the

building and nearby – and the downtown

location

Growing up

The Launch Indy component, while one-

fifth the size of its wildly popular “big brother”

in Fishers, will have a similar look and feel:

large, open spaces; soft seating; casual areas;

dedicated desks for those in need; and classrooms

to accommodate groups from 10 up to 60. It

will also be part of the Indiana Coworking

Passport program, which gives access to some

40 other locations around the state.

Is The Union the next step for

companies ready to “launch” to a new level?

“I think it depends. We’ve had companies

grow out of Launch Fishers that would be

candidates to go into a space that size,” ponders

Wechsler, citing Bluebridge Digital (now

Emplify) as an example. “It’s not inconceivable

we would have companies launch out of a

co-work location and go straight into a

5,000-square-foot space. But at the same time

you could have those who are on not quite as

aggressive a growth path that would go into a

smaller space for a year or two before going

into a 5,000-square-footer of their own.”

Asked why a space like The Union has

not become a reality sooner, Wechsler

mentions a slow adaptation to the new model

of doing business.

“There are a lot of entrenched business

interests that kind of fly in the face of the

entrepreneur and the innovator. With the free

agent nation of the gig economy combined

with the innovation economy where companies

start up and grow very rapidly, they can’t tie

it up for traditional real estate leases the way

they have been done over the years,” he says.

“If you look at the ecosystem as a whole, it

can grow very rapidly if these companies are

freed up to accelerate faster than the

traditional real estate model.

Collaboration areas and a “gem” in the form of a former high school gymnasium are among the places

that will bring people together for camaraderie and special events.