By: Catie Clark September 2, 2021
Cowork businesses have invaded the Treasure Valley recently. Several cowork businesses have started since the beginning of this year, like Fort
Builder and Nine to Five. Others are working on opening up, like Kiln, which plans to open its shared office space in Meridian early next year.
Coworking spaces are spreading in other locations too, like Pocatello and Coeur d’Alene. It’s a new business services model that appears perfect for
those using the new hybrid way of working, split between home and an office.
Cowork and COVID-19
One of the first, if not the first, cowork businesses in Boise was Intelligent Office, which is the joint project of the father-and-son team of Roy and Joe Eiguren. Intelligent Office first opened
six years ago and expanded its space a year and a half ago, right before COVID-19 arrived in Idaho. Right now Intelligent Office occupies 2,600 square feet, close to half of the 14th floor of class A office space in the Eighth and
Main building, better known as the Zions Bank Building with its iconic spire.
Intelligent Office doesn’t have an open area with hot desks, which has become a standard feature of newer cowork facilities. On the other hand, every office is enclosed, private and has a view. The firm also offers phone answering, reception and other secretarial services, offices by day or by month, four conference rooms and mail box service using Eighth and Main’s prestigious street address.
Roy Eiguren told the Idaho Business Review that he has observed a shift in the business since COVID-19 came to town. When the pandemic arrived in March and April 2020, “There were a number of people who chose not to come
in and that did have an impact on us,” he remarked. “But that changed. It has picked up since then.” “Since COVID-19, we’ve seen two types of new clients,” Eiguren added. “First, folks who don’t want to invest long
term in a brick-and-mortar office. Second are the one working a hybrid model: working from home but they need an office to meet with clients or give presentations, so they rent a day office or a conference room. We see a lot more of this now than before the pandemic.”
For the complete article visit: The expansion of Idaho cowork spaces – Idaho Business Review