MANASSAS — CenterFuse, the co-working space in Downtown Manassas, will no longer be managed by Historic Manassas, Inc., starting September 21. Laura Coates, a recent college graduate with an entrepreneurial leadership degree, will take over as CenterFuse’s program coordinator.
The change in management follows reports that CenterFuse lacked the resources to mentor small businesses and was struggling to bring in new memberships.
CenterFuse is co-owned by Whitlock Wealth Management and ECU Communications but was overseen by Historic Manassas, Inc., (HMI) until now. In 2017, the city invested $200,000 into the center, on the terms that CenterFuse stays open as a co-working space for at least three years.
“Laura’s role will be to support this exciting, coworking, entrepreneurial, startup community,” said Bennett Whitlock, CEO of Whitlock Wealth Management.
Coates graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2017 with an interdisciplinary degree in entrepreneurial leadership. She began working at CenterFuse in April as an HMI employee tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations at the co-work center.
“We initially thought we would all be working together for two to three years,” Whitlock said of HMI’s partnership with Whitlock Wealth Management and ECU Communications. “But with everything the city has going on and the way that CenterFuse is growing, this was a good time,” he said.
Debbie Haight, executive director of HMI, said that HMI is proud to have been a part of the start-up. “Working with the partners to build a strong foundation that will sustain itself in the future was our goal,” she stated.
“We’ve been successful in forging partnerships with The Flory Business Center, SCORE and 1 Million Cups,” Haight said of HMI’s leadership at CenterFuse.
The Flory Business Center hosted a startup small business workshop at CenterFuse last month. 1 Million Cups is an entrepreneurial organization that hosts weekly networking events at CenterFuse. Partnerships like these are “the one key thing that is going to keep us growing and bringing people through the door,” Haight said a few months ago to Potomac Local.
HMI also established ongoing programs, such as the Lunch and Learn, a recurring event open to the community that offers advice on varying subjects like retirement, fundraising, and home loans.
“HMI knew everybody, so it was great to kick off CenterFuse working with them,” said Whitlock.
CenterFuse aims to offer resources and networking opportunities for budding entrepreneurs. Several different memberships are offered; $800 a month for a private office, $400 a month for a dedicated workspace, $250 a month for “grab a spot” plan. Other options include $75 a month for a virtual membership and $35 for a one-day pass. These plans come with Wi-Fi access, coffee and tea, printer access, and conference room rates.
Their “Launch a Business” program is a series of classes teaching startup fundamentals, marketing, and business operations. However, lack of attendees caused the program to be delayed until the fall.
“Rather than working out of a garage, you can come into a work environment that can help accelerate your business,” said Whitlock. He shared that one of the businesses at Centerfuse, the Merit Group, is getting ready to move out, because they have grown from a smaller operation into needing their own space. “They need more than a single office now, and that was the singular goal of CenterFuse, to get businesses out there and help them grow into their own spaces,” Whitlock said.
According to a recent Manassas City Hall report, CenterFuse has six regular leasing dedicated seats, and two of three private offices filled by tenants. Whitlock said that membership has “picked up” in the last 60-90 days and credited some of that growth to HMI’s community events.
If CenterFuse does not stay open until at least May 2019, it will have to pay back some or all of the $200,000 grant.
“While the management structure of CenterFuse is changing, the business model is not,” Patrick Small, economic development director for Manassas, stated. “The Department of Economic Development will continue to work with CenterFuse to support the operation and to verify that the partners comply with the terms of the Economic Development Opportunity Fund grant awarded to them.”
