As Beyonce once said, "Who runs the world? Girls!"

It's Women's History Month and this months newsletter features some amazing woman-owned companies at The Loading Dock, as well as a feature on our very own Director of Community Development, Velvet!

We've also got exciting new offers, from daily bookable office space, to new member benefits, to accessing a global network of coworking spaces!

Cowork Anywhere

Exciting news y’all! The Loading Dock has been accepted as a member of The League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces (LExC).

What does this mean for Loading Dock members?

✨Being a member of LExC gives our members access to a global network of over 80 quality coworking spaces. ✨

Effective immediately, The Loading Dock members may use a flexible desk at any coworking space in LExC’s network up to five (5) days per space, per year. The network is simple and easy for members to use, simply choose a destination from LExC’s network and then email the Community Manager for further instructions (Psst, there is a secret code involved!)

👀 🗺️ See the spaces: @lexcspaces or https://lexc.co/find-a-coworking-space

Bookable Offices

Need a change of scenery? Want a private space to knock out your checklist, but don't need all the bells and whistles of a conference room? Got a project that you and your team are working on together?

A bookable office is the perfect space to zone in. You can set recurring bookings too. See you every Tuesday! 🤩

Available at our Beryl and Wake Forest locations. Each bookable office allows for 9am-5pm access and is equipped with sit/stand desks, high-speed wifi, a comfy chair to relax in, pens and pencils, etc!

#ShipFromHere

Due to our expansion, we have small Cowarehouse units open at Dock 1053 for the first time in years!

Have you been wanting to grow your small business? Need to move your company out of your house or garage?

Tour the space and see all of the advantages that Cowarehousing will provide for your business!

Meet a Few Members

We are celebrating women this month and we have a ton of awesome woman-owned companies at The Loading Dock! Here's a glimpse at a few of them:

The W Group: The W Group is comprised of thoughtful, like-minded, and spirited real estate professionals. We take great responsibility for helping people through one of the most important and expensive decisions they can make in their lives.

Neat NC: Neat NC is a professional organizing business. We are also a concierge moving service. We help with every aspect of your move from start to finish. If you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to even start to organize your space, you are not alone!

Hummingbird Candle Company: Hummingbird Candles is a black-owned, woman-owned company that offers hand-poured coconut wax candles and BYOB candle-making experiences! The perfect “me time”, girl's night out, bachelorette party, or team building event!

Madam Flowers: Madame Flowers is another amazing woman-owned, black-owned, candle and wax melts company! Made in small batches locally in Raleigh, NC. Madame Flowers offers curated fragrances inspired by North Carolina.

Reborn Clothing Co: Reborn offers sustainable solutions to organizations of all sizes. Operating from their headquarters in North Carolina, Reborn works with top brands and institutions to transform surplus branded apparel and textile waste with reliable upcycling, downcycling, and corporate gifting solutions.

Business 2 Business

Members! Make sure you fill out your "skills" section on your member portal profile.

This allows for B2B connections and helps other members find you by searching for certain skills such as "realtor, accountant, photographer, etc."

Also be sure to check out the new member benefits that have been added to the portal. Yoga discount? Free shipping? Parking discounts? You can find all of these under the "benefits" tab on your member portal.

Businesses for Good

We are partnering with Activate Good to host "Triangle Businesses for Good."

Our vision as a company is that the Triangle becomes a hub for socially conscious businesses, so we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to host like-minded businesses in our community!

"Triangle Businesses for Good members engage with Activate Good as part of a movement to create positive change, not just another business membership. Through TBG, member businesses discuss social responsibility, inclusive and deep-impact employee volunteerism, and the business community’s role in creating both short and long-term impacts. Members have opportunities to network, serve together, and collaborate with Activate Good and each other to move the needle on local issues."

Learn more and be a part of the movement!

Member Highlight

Introducing our Director of Business Development, Velvet Nelson! Not only a hardworking business woman and entrepreneur, but an all around great person to know!

I developed my love for entrepreneurialism after joining a relatively small startup in 2009 called Everblue in Charlotte, NC. We quickly grew Everblue from a small team of 6 to over 100 employees and were acquired in 2012.

The impact of scaling a mission driven company from a small business to a successful exit was something I saw myself doing over again. In 2012, I co-founded my own startup called ProctorFree, an edtech software company focused on selling into higher education.

By 2013, we had participated in our first startup accelerator, won an NC IDEA SEED grant, and raised $300,000 in angel investment funds. Over the course of 5 years, we built our team to over 20 employees and raised over $3 million in venture capital funding.

By 2017, I recognized that if not for the support of the North Carolina startup ecosystem combined with some great mentors, I would not have had the success I did. I also noticed that there was a severe shortage of women and minority populations starting companies.

With that in mind, I pivoted my career to help diversify the startup ecosystem in North Carolina.

In the past 3 years, I've worked for various accelerators across the state including RevTech Labs and Launch Chapel Hill. I find joy in helping others realize their path to entrepreneurship isn't as difficult as it might seem. I am a natural connector and I am always happy to help anyone find the resources they need to start and grow their business. I also volunteer for NC IDEA and UNC as a judge on various grant programs.

As the Director of Community Development at The Loading Dock, I have combined my two passions to begin offering educational and mentorship programs to our community members and also finding new ways to grow our Loading Dock community. You can typically find me at our Wake Forest location but I periodically pop in and out of all of our locations.