CREJ - Journal

MARCH 2015 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \

that fuel start-ups. They are creating opportunities in down-

town for a variety of expressions, like Denver’s Create Week.

If DDP wasn’t behind this kind of thing, it would have never

happened.

Denver is authentic and intellectual.

I also think Denver’s diversity plays a role. There’s no secret

club and it’s about ideas and sharing your voice.

Shared Workspace

Ellen Winkler, co-founder of Battery 621 and Industry, where

tenants enjoy edgy and creative workspaces, setting the

stage businesses to flourish.

Can you speak to the genesis of the Industry concept?

What intentions fueled the project?

Four and a half years ago, we could tell Denver was ready

to explode. We looked for office space and nothing spoke to

who we are.

We wanted to skateboard, we wanted to bring our dog, we

wanted the workplace to speak to the lifestyle we lived.

It was just magical. We were new to Denver. All of a sudden,

we had a family and friends. People who were like-minded.

Each one of our projects has a theme centered around the

tenant profile. While Battery was based on lifestyle, Industry

is based on technology and creativity.

What we are doing now in the movement of office space

is making ecosystems – a trend happening throughout the

world: the experiential environment.

You are working in several markets in the U.S. What is special

about Denver that enables this urban vibe to flourish?

As far as doing real estate development, we chose Denver.

We looked at Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. But

we chose Denver.

Denver has that entrepreneurial spirit that you don’t see

in most cities. It is open and honest. Denver is called the

“give-get” city. Partnering with people was easy.

Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see

on the horizon for innovative urban projects?

The next project we are doing is taking the Industry con-

cept and moving it into a new genre: digital health, which

includes app development, wearables (i.e., Fitbit) and large

enterprise platforms (i.e., electronic health record compa-

nies). Employees in this field, be it coders or “creatives,” do

not want to be in a traditional office setting or away from

downtown. They want to be in a hip, cool, urban setting.

We’re also starting construction on an 80,000-sf building

at 38th and Walnut that will be open first-quarter 2016.

And while Industry led with 160,000 sf of space, and four

restaurants, plans are in the works to add 250 units of for-

rent housing and 61 brownstones on the river.

Now the strategy is to take the Industry concept to second-

ary cities around the country.

Sages & Stars

Industry brings together creative tenants in creative space.

Ellen Winkler