The Hub Space People Innovation Ltd.

The Hub is a community, and it’s a physical work space that encourages social innovation, entrepreneurship, freelance workers and artists. It’s a place for people to gather to work together on a project or job, or to learn about new ideas.

“It’s about people working in interesting things and being in a space together. It’s a setting for what we like to call creative collisions. The Hub provides an opportunity for making connections that can lead to innovative projects,” explains Joanne Macrae, co-founder of The Hub.

The Hub start-up began in 2005 with co-founders Joanne Macrae, Tracy Boyer, Sera Thompson and Rob MacArthur. They were inspired by the emergence of co-working spaces around the world and met the person who was involved in starting The Hub London.

“Halifax is the perfect place,” says Macrae. “There are so many talented people in interesting positions here and we have a geographic advantage because we’re located on the eastern seaboard, close to some major centers.”

In February 2007, the co-founders joined a “collection of friends” from The Hub outlets in Berlin, Amsterdam, Sao Paolo, Madrid and beyond to talk about how to share design ideas and how to work with the model and start connecting people globally.

One year later they found themselves looking for the right space and meeting with some of the creative and business leaders in the city to assess potential for The Hub in Halifax.

“Halifax was part of the early wave of Hub outlets. We picked a smaller space and we’ve done a good job of attracting a diverse group of members.”

Macrae says Hub members include all sorts of people like software developers, marketers, non-profit professionals as well as people living and working outside Halifax who are in town for meetings. Macrae says the variety of people using the facility contributes to the richness of the venue.

“The more different types of people who work there the better for sharing ideas and making useful connections,” she explains.

The Hub charges for time rather than space, a model Macrae likens to a cell phone plan. It also offers varying levels of membership that are flexible and scalable to reflect changes in its members’ businesses.

The Hub has a small meeting room and large workshop space, as well as shared resources and technology for members to work on-site.

“At first we underestimated demand for external meeting space, but immediately, we had a lot of demand from the government and private sector, looking to meet offsite,” Macrae says.

It has been a venue for some major downtown events, including Nocturne, Change Camp Halifax and a number of music shows. But the facility is shifting to member-driven events, providing members with a venue to showcase their work for the benefit of other members.

“We invite our members to share what they’re doing, especially if it adds value or contributes information that our other members can use.”

Macrae says she and the other co-founders started The Hub as a means to help Halifax reach its potential as a vibrant, progressive city.

“We’re really passionate about Halifax. We have a vision and we wanted amazing things to happen here. We realized that people who should meet each other are not connecting, and there are a lot of people who want to give back.”

Macrae says The Hub is always changing. It offers a blend of the best comforts of home and a neighbourhood café along with a full array of office tools.

“It’s a rich habitat of ideas and concepts and a lot of surprising, interesting conversations happen there. We even have a blackboard in the bathroom where people can post their thoughts, or ask questions for members to contribute their opinions.”

Part of being a cutting edge facility is following state-of-the-art environmental practices. Macrae says they were determined to do a green renovation when they established the facility. They used recycled dry wall, cradle-to-cradle carpets and wood from Bridgewater. Insulation in the walls is made from the remnants of denim from a blue jean factory and members sit in 90 per cent recyclable chairs.

Originally from Guelph, Macrae says there’s something about Nova Scotia that made her want to stay after she graduated from Dalhousie.

“I liked this place from the very start. I knew I wanted to stay here. There are a tremendous amount of people doing incredible things. It’s not massive so there are a lot of opportunities to be innovative.”

Macrae says her vision for The Hub is to demonstrate the potential of collaborative business and networking.

Macrae and Boyer are interested in taking The Hub into other parts of the province and the region, using technology to link members.

“The Hub is building out into Nova Scotia. We’re looking at how we can have a rural-urban connection through technology. We’re also looking at how to leverage the network of Hubs around the world to foster connections and conversations with global members,” Macrae says.

If Macrae has her way, The Hub will not only be a strong part of the local business community, but a player at the centre of the global business community. She laughs, “It’s only a matter of time before the world revolves around Nova Scotia.”