Geneva’s 25N Coworking marks 10 years in business

Workspace hub offers private offices, dedicated work spaces

25N Coworking, a Geneva company that offers collaborative work spaces, recently marked 10 years in business, according to a news release.

Coworking is a concept that provides a professional environment for virtual employees, freelance workers and entrepreneurs to work, have meetings and network. 25N Coworking, at 25 N. River Lane, offers open work spaces, dedicated desks and private office suites for individuals or teams, as well as meeting rooms and collaboration spaces.

Mara Hauser, founder and chief executive officer for 25N Coworking, said in the release the business began as a “suburban, community-focused workspace hub where like-minded business people could work near home in a productive, inspiring environment.”

“I am proud to say that since opening our first location, 25N Coworking has been able to foster growth for thousands of businesses,” Hauser said. “In the time we’ve done business, coworking has gone from a largely unknown concept to a household name now largely considered the future of the hybrid workforce.”

The business first opened at another location in Geneva in 2014 but moved to River Lane in 2017 with an expanded two-story space offering more private and dedicated desks.

The company now has five locations, including one in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, according to the release.

Meagan Slavin, the company’s chief operating officer, said 10 years ago members who needed payment plans to get through their first month now have 10 or 20 employees with multiple offices.

“Growth has been a common theme with our 25N team as well,” Slavin said in the release. “It’s important to me that our team feels like they can flex their passions, come to the table with new ideas, dream big and hit the ground ready to make an impact in our community. Every single team member has grown personally and professionally in our company and I’m grateful I’ve had a front-row seat to witness that.”

Lash said the pandemic was challenging, but the company and its members managed to get through it.

“Many in Geneva are entrepreneurs and small business owners. Many members were all mandated to work from home,” spokeswoman Sari Lash said. “Meagan called every member to check in, offer rent delays in payments and renegotiated contracts. Very few members left.”

People who still wanted to work out of their office space at 25N could do so. They just wore masks on their way in and closed their office doors, Lash said.

“Our staff would come in once a day to make sure the space was clean,” Lash said.

Despite the hardship of the pandemic, 25N members had a lot of camaraderie, she said.

The company would host virtual social events to boost spirits — the most popular being an open mic night, she said.

“It was definitely a time of community, rallying for our team,” Lash said. “We never felt more connected than during that time.”

Some highlights of the company’s decade in business include bringing interns to members who provided mentorship, hosting business-building events such as competitions and coaching sessions, and hosting Girls Who Code for five years.