Coworking space Campworks designed for members to go outside

BOULDER — A family has converted their office and warehouse building where they sold 3D printers and associated software into Boulder’s newest co-working space.

Campworks, in south Boulder, is meant to be a specific type of coworking space. For Mike, Gloria and Amy Ontiveros, the goal is to give members a place where they can get fresh air as much as they can work on their next big idea.

Campworks, which features a full view of the National Center for Atmospheric Research hiking area, will have programming and an atmosphere encouraging members to get outside when they can.

After selling their business last year, Gloria Ontiveros said she and her husband were looking for something new to do with the building they own.

“That was our future path of revenue,” she said. “We were wondering if we should lease the building out to one tenant or a few tenants.”

But on a hike on Mount Sanitas with their daughter, Amy, the Ontiveros’ came up with a different idea.

Amy suggested they turn the building into a coworking space. By the time they climbed the 900 feet to the top, they had purchased four domains and came up with a name that would reflect the outdoor-loving atmosphere they wanted to encourage.

The Campworks coworking space is 5,000 square feet made of shared space with dedicated desks, semi-private cubicles and locking private offices. Private offices range from fitting a few people to teams of 12 to 14.

It took just four months from creating a business plan to Campworks having its grand opening, Oct. 17.

“The biggest benefit of working so intensely on this is you can really give attention to every single detail,” Amy Ontiveros said. “It’s really been four months of intensive dedicated time and collaboration between my mom and I.”

In addition to working space, Campworks has two downstairs showers and an indoor bike rack. Every room has a window facing outside, and the building backs up to a trailhead.

Amy said Campworks plans to have programming that will focus on helping members balance their work life with a healthy, active lifestyle. In the spring, Campworks plans to open an outdoor component of their coworking space on land the Ontiveros’ own adjacent to the building. Gloria said it will be simple: seating, shade, power and Wi-Fi.

Prices vary between $395 per month for a dedicated desk to $5,000 a month for large team spaces. The plan was to be in the range of other coworking spaces in the Boulder and Denver area.

But Gloria and Amy said they didn’t see themselves as competing with other coworking spaces. Gloria added that she saw Campworks as being ideal for a certain type of person who would prioritize outdoor access and would want a more laidback atmosphere that happens outside of downtown Boulder and Denver.

Campworks is also partnering with other local businesses, such as Ozo Coffee Co. and local gyms to give discounts to Campworks members and encourage them supporting other local businesses.

“From the beginning, it was an idea I had for Campworks. I love Boulder and the surrounding cities and I love supporting local businesses,” Amy Ontiveros said. “There are businesses and private practitioners that we’ve built relationships with over the years and want to support. So we did that in creating this space and our mission.”

For Gloria, having her new business support other local businesses made sense.

“I’ve always felt the best way to run a business is to be connected to the community,” she said. “We need to support our own community. And that’s our underlying mission, to create good relationships and support each other.”

on Facebook on LinkedIn