Tech upgrades are on the horizon for Fernie’s newest co-working space, 2nd Edition Coworking, thanks to a $10,000 grant from Columbia Basin Trust (CBT).
Fernie Chamber of Commerce said the money will go to buy new computers, a tablet, and an integrated teleconferencing setup for the meeting room at 2nd Edition Coworking.
“Right at the tail end of 2020, the Fernie Chamber of Commerce finally opened our doors to the brand-new co-working space we have in downtown Fernie. One of the final pieces of setting up the space was decking it out with some technology,” said Brad Parsell, Fernie Chamber executive director. “This grant has been sort of an amazing last piece of the puzzle to set up our coworking space.”
The Chamber said the new equipment will help better serve both its own members and those with 2nd Edition, offer virtual professional development workshops, and provide a space for local entrepreneurs to hold virtual meetings.
“Most meetings in any business or organization right now are virtual, so having a meeting room completely decked out with a 55 inch TV and all the teleconferencing equipment is going to be a huge win for our members and the public in Fernie,” said Parsell.
Parsell added that he and the Chamber are thankful for the grant from CBT.
“We are incredibly grateful to Columbia Basin Trust for this opportunity to equip the Fernie Chamber’s new downtown community co-working space with state-of-the-art technology that will help local professionals connect virtually, and work on their business goals. Now more than ever it is important that our organization and our entrepreneurial community has access to this critical technology as we look to our competitiveness and resiliency during recovery from the pandemic.”
The co-working space in downtown Fernie is open to the public at a reduced capacity.