City Of Charleston Announces Expansion Of The Digital Corridor’s Flagship
May 24, 2011
New Facility Designed to Meet the Unique Needs of Charleston’s Surging Knowledge Economy
CHARLESTON, SC – May 23, 2011 – The City of Charleston is pleased to announce an expansion of the Charleston Digital Corridor’s highly successful Flagship – downtown Charleston’s premier co-working/incubation business environment. At 13,700 square feet, the new facility, dubbed Flagship2 (FS2), is almost three times larger than the Flagship and continues to meet the unique need for high quality, flexible workspaces desired by knowledge-based companies. Adjacent to the Flagship, these two “smart” buildings collectively represent Charleston’s emerging connected economy.
“Sometimes, we are better able to understand emerging market needs by taking some risk,” said Ernest Andrade, Director of the Charleston Digital Corridor. “By approving the Flagship in February 2009, the City took a risk at a time of tremendous economic uncertainty, which paid off in spades. Since the Flagship opened, we have seen a constant flow of demand for workspace, affirming that Charleston’s knowledge economy is vibrant, and FS2 will serve an even greater role in fostering its growth, he added.
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. applauded the unanimous support from his City Council for the expansion of the Flagship and their steadfast support for growing Charleston’s high wage, knowledge economy. “Knowledge-based companies are the most rapidly growing sector of our professional and technical economy,” said Mayor Riley. “I am committed to making Charleston a national leader in supporting “smart” high wage job creation,” he added.
The new downtown Charleston facility, located at 78 Alexander Street, complements and expands the Flagship’s current office space offerings (75-150 square feet) with a variety of office configurations ranging from 300 to 3,000 square feet. In addition to larger offices, FS2 offers residents super-fast data speeds, flexible lease terms, 24-hour secure access, on-site parking and amenities such as indoor bike storage and shower facilities.
Of the seventeen offices available at FS2, fifteen have been leased. The initial tenant mix for the offices at FS2 include companies from the software, engineering, internet technology, sustainability, social media and marketing sectors. Companies in FS2 hail from Florida, California, Georgia and Kansas, as well as several graduates from the Flagship.
Flagship graduate and FS2 resident Richard Stanton relocated from Atlanta and launched two social marketing companies, Social123 and HurryHurry. “The Digital Corridor’s FS2 building is unlike any other in Charleston, said Stanton. “It has that Silicon Valley vibe — from the design style to the blazing fast internet speed and all the added amenities, FS2 is conducive to technology, innovation and entrepreneurship,” he added.
For more information on the Flagship and Flagship2 (FS2), visit www.charlestonflagship.com.
Contact Ernest G. Andrade [email protected] t: 843-724-3773
About the Charleston Digital Corridor
The Digital Corridor is a creative effort to attract, nurture and promote Charleston’s knowledge economy through a combination of technology-enabled initiatives and business incentives, private business support and member-driven programming. For more information, visit www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com.
