Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – On any given day, half a dozen remote workers set up their “office” inside StoneGate Arts & Education Center.
They come for reliable, high speed internet and a quiet spot for Zoom meetings. The hot coffee and view of the Bedford square are bonuses.
Some may work a few hours, others, like Jim Hazard, work a full, 40-hour week.
Hazard is a remote worker and moved from Fishers to southern Lawrence County a little over a year ago. Originally from Seymour, he said he and his wife always wanted to return to their rural roots. When his company offered him the opportunity to work remotely full time, he said goodbye to lengthy work commutes and hello to country life.
Hazard said the move and his ability to work remotely hinged on consistent access to reliable internet. Being able to work at StoneGate made that possible.
Recognizing the need and the opportunity to bring more people to StoneGate, the downtown Bedford building launched a new co-working space.
StoneGate Executive Director Linda Henderson announced Monday the start of StoneGate Digital Business Support Services. The program will support remote workers, virtual assistants, IT, ecommerce workers and those working from home.
Services will include a monthly networking lunch, meeting space, trainings and other support services. Currently, remote workers can use StoneGate free of charge. In the future, Henderson said a fee structure will be introduced.
Henderson said StoneGate is responding to the change in the work environment since the pandemic.
“We are seeing a continued increase in remote work options for employees,” Henderson said. “One advantage of remote work is that it allows people to rethink how and where they want to live. For those workers in Lawrence County that have transitioned into remote work, StoneGate is here to be resource and support. StoneGate is the perfect place to support Remote Workers in our rural community.”
More communities in Indiana are developing programs to attract and support remote workers as part of their economic development initiatives. Radius Indiana, an eight-county economic development organization headquartered in Bedford, has Choose Southern Indiana, a talent attraction program that offers relocation incentives.
Henderson worked with The Mill, a nonprofit center for co-working and entrepreneurship in Bloomington, to develop a plan to support remote workers.
The building in downtown Bedford has open seating areas and closed spaces, coffee bars and space for meet-ups – all basic amenities remote workers need.
Looking ahead, Henderson said if participation grows, she will designate a portion of the building to remote workers.
“Many people have hybrid work schedules,” Henderson said. “There’s a real need for this.”
With the pandemic less of a concern, many companies have pulled remote workers back into the office. Hazard said he hopes companies will see the benefits to employees.
“We’re much happier here and the people are nicer here,” Hazard said.
To foster networking, StoneGate will sponsor a networking lunch on the second Wednesday of each month at noon.
The first lunch is set for Aug. 14. The lunch is free. Attendees are asked to RSVP at 812-279-8126 or email[email protected].