914INC. – November 9, 2017

By Paula Gomprecht | November 14, 2017

Serendipity Labs’ John Arenas is convinced that a flexible, empowering way of doing business is the future, starting now.

Entrepreneur John Arenas looked at an old car dealership in Rye and saw the future. His future — and possibly yours. He converted the building on Theodore Fremd Avenue, located a short walk from the heart of town, into Serendipity Labs, one of Westchester’s first coworking facilities, or basically an office for hire. Dispel images you may have of an army of Millennials huddled around laptops, however. Thanks to Arenas’ vision, the Rye space, which opened in 2013, offers sleek design and advanced technology specifically targeting the needs of the modern professional. “Think of it as coworking for grownups,” he explains, a notion that is gaining ground.

With seven US locations and more on the way, plus a recent deal signed with a counterpart in China, Serendipity Labs is expanding rapidly, along with the coworking industry at large. Analysts expect the participation to increase at a compounded-annual-growth rate of 41 percent into 2020.

While certainly pleased about such positive numbers, Arenas points out that his ambition transcends financial success. “Getting up in the morning to make more money really isn’t the big motivator,” he says. “It’s more about a creative process, to build an experience that fits people’s needs. Our facilities are really about improving lives through freedom and choice, enabling people to work how and when they want to.”

Source, Gale Ritterhoff, “Improving the Workforce-Workplace Interface”, 914INC., Westchester Magazine