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The Hunter’s new home for business and innovation

Announcement posted by Beyond Bank Australia 17 Mar 2016

16 March 2016
Small business in the Hunter will receive a new home next month, with Australia’s latest co-working space opening in Charlestown on April 5. 

DaSH Co-Work is a 450sq metre, 65-desk office hub in Lake Macquarie’s economic centre, Charlestown. Located atop the high-traffic, at Hilltop Plaza, facing the intersection of Pearson and Ridley Streets, DaSH Co-Work will provide affordable office space to entrepreneurs to help manage their business and expense challenges.

The co-working revolution which has swept through Sydney, Melbourne and cities around the globe has prompted Dantia, the Lake Macquarie Economic Development Company Ltd to invest in redeveloping the Hilltop Plaza office into a hi-tech home for entrepreneurs and small business.

The DaSH Co-Work project alone is projected to deliver in excess of 30 new jobs in the region and significantly increase Lake Macquarie City’s economy.

“Our focus with this space was always to provide an affordable, dynamic and sustainable area where entrepreneurs could share space, their ideas, and help each other succeed. A platform of support for innovation, basically,” said Derrek Lush, Dantia’s Acting CEO.

“We will provide the infrastructure, which removes a lot of the risks involved in starting a business allowing them to  focus on doing what they need to do – either stabilising or scaling up their business operations,” he said.

DaSH Co-Work has attracted the interest of some high-profile local businesses already, with one third of the office space already accounted for with tenants committing to memberships months before the doors have officially opened.

“The project has been identified as a way to capitalise on the changing workforce away from a traditional nine-to-five office job into a more agile, collaborative set-up. We believe that this trend is just the crest of the wave of people wanting to change the way they work,” said Mr Lush. 

The initiative has also attracted substantial partnership funding with Beyond Bank Australia coming on board as a Foundation Partner and heading the ever-growing list of major corporations backing the project.

Beyond Bank Community Development Manager, Kylie Daniels said our organisation is proud to be a Foundation Partner with DaSH Co Work. Our organisations share common values, including a commitment to investing in local communities and there is no better place than in the future of entrepreneurial leaders.

“Beyond Bank is excited about the possibilities the partnership with DaSH Co-Work space will provide for the region.  The entrepreneurs who will share this space at Charlestown are our future leaders, and this purpose-built environment will provide the perfect location for them to share ideas and the possibilities to partner with like-minded people.
 
“We are already seeing examples of partnering and new opportunities, and we haven’t even opened the doors yet,” said Ms Daniels.

DaSH Co-Work is holding a pre-launch function on Thursday evening in Charlestown for founding members, stakeholders and selected interested parties. Tickets are by invitation only.

For more information on DaSH Co-Work or ticketing for the event, contact DaSH Community Manager Harry Balding at harry@dashcowork.com