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[Press Release] Kiln Announces Upgrade and Expansion in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY – A surge in demand and growing waitlist for its flexible-office space and coworking community have driven Kiln to nearly double the size of its downtown Salt Lake City location at The Gateway. Set for completion in late spring of this year, the ambitious project will feature an array of lifestyle-driven, cutting-edge amenities and workspaces. The expansion comes during a time of increased national need for hybrid workplace and flex-office solutions amplified by the pandemic. Kiln creates visionary coworking communities across the Mountain West and West Coast that re-imagine the modern workplace. Its beautifully designed, amenity-rich spaces encourage members to invest in their wellbeing and perform at their best. “Now more than ever, the traditional office environment has little appeal to most professionals. This drives our passion to design thoughtful spaces to address the evolving needs of teams and individuals,” explains Kiln Founder and CEO Arian Lewis. “Kiln focuses on fostering community within our workspaces and making it easier for companies to embrace a hybrid work model. While the pandemic diminished the need for businesses to have their own headquarters or to maintain long-term office leases, leaders recognize the ability to gather and collaborate remains critical to the success of their organizations and employee wellbeing.” According to real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, 63 percent of employees now prefer a hybrid model versus working exclusively in an office or at home. Kiln’s unique flex-office solutions allow startups and individual companies to offer a high-quality, wellness and lifestyle-driven workspace that is move-in ready at reasonable total occupancy costs. While Kiln continues to cater to entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, and rapidly scaling teams, the expansion of Kiln Salt Lake City is designed to serve larger teams and companies seeking an experiential workspace. This expansion is similar to Kiln’s 2020 project, which added a second location in Lehi, Utah to meet increasing demand from teams of 20-plus looking to leave a traditional, corporate lease. Kiln memberships range from shared coworking desks for individuals to private office spaces accommodating teams of 2 to 50 employees. All Kiln memberships come with access to all-inclusive amenities. Wellness rooms, sit-to-stand desks, podcast studios and virtual meeting solutions allow members to accomplish their professional work, while conveniently incorporating creativity and wellness. The expanded Kiln Salt Lake City, will include:● A variety of virtual conference & meeting rooms● Video & podcasting studios● Virtual meeting booths● Deep work rooms● Executive private offices for one to two people● Workshops studio offices with space for storage● Private solo-gym for individual workouts● A micro-atrium● A flex event space Jointly developed with The Boyer Company, the expansion consists of an additional 21,000 square feet for a total of 54,000 square feet. “We are incredibly grateful to collaborate with Kiln to provide an enhanced workspace community to Salt Lake City, one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S,” says Nate Boyer, President of The Boyer Company, who is partnering with Kiln on the construction and design of The Gateway location. “Flex office spaces are integral to the future of the workplace and will soon become the new standard for how and where people work. Our goal is to create a space that maintains Kiln’s position at the forefront of this workplace revolution.” Kiln currently boasts five locations with Kiln Meridian, the sixth and largest location opening its doors in April with 50,000 square feet to serve the greater Boise, Idaho area. Additional Mountain West locations, including Provo, Utah, are in various stages of development. Details will be announced in the coming months.

Apr 14 — Community

Kiln x V School Partnership

Kiln is thrilled to announce a new partnership with V School, an online web development and UX/UI design program that helps its students land their dream tech jobs. This partnership came to fruition thanks to our shared interests in tech, education, career development, and community. Kiln is awarding one full-ride, $21,000 scholarship to V School, and supporting another 1M in partial scholarship opportunities. The purpose of these scholarships are to help techies and people with non-technical backgrounds alike gain all of the skills needed to land an industry job. The curriculum guides students through all phases of learning, including building a portfolio and preparing for interviews. Graduates of the V School work at companies ranging from Apple to IBM to Divvy. Want to master FullStack JavaScript Web Development? Hoping to gain insight on digital user experience and design? Whether you’re looking to launch a career in tech, or gain a leg up at your current job with new skills, this is a unique opportunity. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis from now until June 1st, 2022. Interested applicants can find more information here. The partnership also grants Kiln members free access to the V School’s Intro to Tech coursework, which features 40 hours of coding, UX/UI design, and web development training. Asynchronous curriculum content is supplemented with live workshops. Kiln members can also opt-in to a private slack workspace where they can meet other learners and gain access to mentors and instructors. Register here.As our partnership progresses, Kiln and the V School will be hosting joint “Lunch and Learn” events at each of our coworking and flex-office communities throughout Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Keep an eye out for exciting upcoming events here.

Mar 14 — Partnerships

Celebrating Black History Month at Kiln

Throughout the month of February, Kiln celebrated Black History Month. The theme for the 2022 celebration was Black Health and Wellness, which examined how the American healthcare system has chronically underserved the African American community, and celebrated the legacy of Black contributors, scholars, and practitioners in Western medicine. Throughout the month, we set out to: Celebrate the contributions of Black Americans, specifically those in healthcare, who serve our communities and demonstrate resilience and strength. We studied James McCune Smith (1813-1865), the first Black American to receive a medical degree (albeit from the University of Glasgow Medical School due to racist admissions practices within the U.S.), the first Black pharmacy owner in the US, and the first Black physician to have a publication in U.S. medical journal. We learned about advocate Alexa Irene Canady, who in addition to becoming the first Black neurosurgeon in the U.S. and having a career as the Chief of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, is a champion for young women pursuing careers in medicine and neurosurgery. Read more about Dr. Canady here. To read more about reducing racial disparities in health care, we suggest the CommonWealth Fund’s report and Emory University’s public health reading list on racial health disparities. –––Share the success of Black entrepreneurs and highlight Black-owned small businesses.This list of Black-owned businesses near Kiln Boulder and throughout Boulder County, Colorado is full of restaurants, retail, and lifestyle businesses, and features local Black artists, real estate agents, and professionals in the area. Here’s another list we’ve been utilizing, which focuses on Black-owned Utah food businesses, ranging from restaurants to markets to bakeries to food trucks. Read more about why it’s crucial to support Black-owned businesses on the consumer and corporate levels here. We highlighted several of Inc.’s top female founders, including Crystal Etienne, founder of Ruby Love, a company creating apparel that makes menstrual periods more manageable and less shameful, and Mandy Price, founder of Kanarys which helps other companies address systemic racism in the workplace. –––Learn alongside you, as we explored strategies for correcting systemic underinvestment in Black communities.Black founders are instrumental in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems with new technologies and innovative thinking. Still, they disproportionately lack access to funding resources needed to launch their businesses. In fact, while more than 13% of the U.S. population is African American, Black entrepreneurs only received 1.2% of the total venture capital invested in U.S. startups in early 2021. Even worse, Black founders only received 0.6% of all venture capital deployed in 2020. Some funds that are making a difference to correct this paradox include: Google’s Black Founders Fund, which provides non-dilutive cash awards to Black led startups that have participated in our programs or have been nominated by our partner community or a previous recipient. The fund also provides recipients with Google Cloud credits, Google.org Ads grants, and hands-on support to help their startup grow.Collab Capital is “an investment fund supporting Black-founders to build sustainable, innovation-centered businesses”Black-led venture capital funds including Concrete Rose, Reign Ventures, Plexo Capital, and Noemis VenturesFor further reading, check out “The Essential Funding Guide for Entrepreneurs of Color” published by Inc. –––Promote resources for further learning and donations.This month we read articles from the Harvard Business Review titled “A VCs Guide to Investing in Black Founders” and “Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism or Just Talking About It?” and “How Organizations can Support the Mental Health of Black Employees.” We also recommend UC Berkeley’s free small business toolkit, which contains sixty resources and marketing tips for Black entrepreneurs. You can access it here. Kiln has also been active in hosting events of our own to promote further learning within our coworking communities. On March 8th, we’re hosting Roy Banks, CEO of Weave HQ, to lead a discussion on how to build and lead a diverse and inclusive company. –––Black History is American History. We’re looking forward to continuing to support Black entrepreneurs, leaders, and advocates for change.

Feb 25 — Community

Finding Balance At Kiln

Kiln is all about balance. It’s our mission to introduce wellness in the workplace because we believe that the two should go hand-in-hand. That’s why each of our Kiln communities hosts mindfulness classes, is flooded with natural light and greenery, offers nutritious snacks in our cafes, and has dedicated rooms with massage chairs for quiet meditation. Still, it’s challenging to find consistent balance between your professional and personal worlds. In fact, you can cycle around a good equilibrium, but perfect balance is not something you achieve once, forever. Here’s how the Kiln experience helps individuals and teams strike a better balance: [Not Your Average Work Day - Kiln] Making Work-Life Balance Attainable: Today’s work culture expects everyone to be online and accessible all of the time. Microsoft published its 2021 Work Trend Index: Annual Report, reporting an increase in expected availability of workers, as evidenced by low response times, increased virtual chatting and emailing between employees, more time spent in meetings, and more shared document working. Microsoft also describes the toll of ad hoc scheduling, and the skyrocketing and unsustainable levels of digital engagement that most employees have adopted. Now, more than ever, it’s important to set times to disconnect and disengage from your work. When you focus on other pursuits, like self-care, your working productivity will only benefit. Kiln locations have quiet spaces designed to help you reconnect with yourself; wellness rooms have low-lighting and massage chairs. We program regular yoga classes, sound-healing sessions, and outdoor movement sessions. See our list of upcoming events here. Every Kiln membership comes with perks outside of the workplace, too. Discounts to local restaurants, gyms, massage studios, and hotels make hosting clients and potential hires, as well as supporting your own travel between home and Kiln (and between Kiln locations) easy. Fostering Balance between Work and Fun: To boost your engagement with work, we recommend you (re)commit to spontaneity. That’s why all of our workplace locations are situated in bustling metropolitan areas, where recreational activities, restaurants, and live music venues are just moments away from Kiln. At Kiln Boulder and Kiln Park City, members meet up to ski and bike. At Kiln Lehi and Kiln Salt Lake City, hiking groups make the most of the beautiful trails nearby. Get out of your comfort zone by attending Kiln events and programming, which range from our Startup Series, to happy hours, to 3D printing workshops. Learning a new skill and meeting like-minded professionals helps us to feel connected to a community and foster a sense of belonging. Optimizing the Balance between Teamwork and Solo Progress: Kiln caters towards entrepreneurs, creatives, freelancers, and small teams. When you’re building anything great, but especially when you’re doing it alone, it is easy to become siloed. Other times, when you’re leading a team, it becomes difficult to carve out time for individual reflection amidst the demands of leadership. Kiln can help you find balance between individual and team contributions. If you’re a leader, we suggest defining times, spaces, and methods for team collaboration. Maybe you book a Kiln conference room each Monday morning to sync, or build company culture at Kiln Apres Work events. If you’re accustomed to working on your own, maybe you use a Kiln recording studio to start a podcast and share your wisdom with the broader entrepreneurial community. Or, you could spend Wednesdays working from the cafe area to maximize your interactions with new people. At Kiln, our community teams are here to help you strike a healthier balance between professional and personal pursuits. See it to believe it…book a tour at any of our Kiln locations here!

Feb 17 — Community

4 Ways Coworking Can Improve Mental Health

This May, Kiln is celebrating mental health awareness. Many of us can speak to the toll that Covid-19 took on our emotional wellbeing. Between economic losses, job insecurity, and screen fatigue, many of us are still adapting. But the benefits of coworking are well studied. Coworking can improve your social support system, create routine, improve productivity, and help you establish a “work rhythm”.Here are four ways that Kiln is working year-round to improve the mental health of our members. Coworking communities can improve mental health by: 1) Destigmatizing Mental HealthKiln creates a community where each member feels socially supported. Our locations in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho each host regular events focused on finding career fulfillment, work-life balance, and belonging. For example, in March, Kiln Boulder invited guest speaker, Max Rosencrantz, for a luncheon workshop titled, “A Career Worth Loving” on personal growth and happiness in your career. This month, Chargebee hosted a Cultural Inclusion & Diversity presentation today at Kiln Lehi, with a presentation by Camlyn Giddins from Encircle, a youth LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization.At Kiln Park City, monthly Women’s Inspired Network events give women in the Kiln community an opportunity to share anecdotal career and personal stories. Last month, Betty Morin led a discussion centering around the word “reinvent” and what it means to her. Kiln believes that destigmatizing mental health, through conversations that remove associations of shame or self-consciousness, has ripple effects that can be felt by Kiln members, their networks, and their communities at large. As a daily reminder of this effort, the Kiln Cart in Meridian this month is stocked with lavender toilettes, stress balls, and gratitude journals. Let’s normalize taking inventory of our emotional wellbeing on a daily basis. 2) Offering Wellness ClassesThe Kiln team believes that focusing on the mind and the body can improve mental health. That’s why each of our coworking communities hosts wellness and fitness classes on a weekly basis. At Kiln Park City, groups of members often mountain bike or ski together. Kiln is located in Kimball Junction, just minutes away from the slopes and from the best local hiking and biking trails. Additionally, Kiln Park City recently hosted a Sound Bath event in partnership with Mountain Town Music and Wild Women Tribe. All proceeds went to the Peace House, a local safe shelter dedicated to ending family violence and abuse. At Kiln Boulder, Kylie Kwon, a life coach, spiritual healer, and Kiln member has been hosting a Monday Morning Meditation and Sound Healing series. This series is open to Kiln members hoping to get involved in the burgeoning mindfulness movement in the Boulder area.At Kiln Meridian, members are trying new events including a Barre3 pop-up community class, lunch break yoga resets, and sound bath classes, offered through partnerships with local wellness companies including The Mind Beauty Soul and Barre3. And of course, at Kiln Salt Lake, weekly yoga classes with Kelly are a hit. We put health at the forefront of our programming so that Kiln becomes a one-stop shop for all of your needs. Taking breaks throughout your work day, establishing a routine that includes movement, and getting outside all have proven benefits to your wellbeing. 3) Building Your NetworkFostering connections within your team, and beyond, is an important part of improving your mental health. In a coworking community, you never know who you are going to rub shoulders with.If you’re used to working from home, you may find that being at Kiln decreases loneliness and isolation. Kiln events are focused on creating community. You might try cocktail club, Apres Work happy hours, Speaker Series, trivia nights, and Waffle Wednesdays. If you’re accustomed to working in a traditional corporate environment, you might find the creative energy at Kiln to be compelling. Instead of learning just from people in your industry, you might learn from artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs, too. Attend Kiln events ranging from 3D Printing workshops and Knowledge Sharing workshops, or panel discussions with VCs, metaverse and Web3 experts, and founders. Kiln Park City even leverages a partnership with Pando, an entrepreneurial community supporting local ventures. Browse a list of our upcoming events here. 4) Varying Your Work EnvironmentVarying your work environment can help you achieve a work rhythm, boost productivity, and feel happier. Each Kiln location dedicates 20% of its total square footage to open-layout coworking space and 80% to private flex-offices. Each location also features all-inclusive amenities ranging from theaters, atriums, cafes, gyms, podcast studios, and more. During Covid-19, when many of us began to work from home, it was nice to move between the couch, desk, table, and the outdoors throughout the workday. The creature comforts we discovered while working from home are replicated at Kiln. All of our spaces are multi-use and multi-modal. We even allow dogs! Kiln members can vary their work environment, moving between conference rooms, shared desks, standing desks, cafe-seating, private phone booths, and couches. Whether you’re looking for a quiet environment without ambient noise, or an energetic space to strike up a conversation, you’ll be sure to find it at Kiln. We also have outdoor spaces where Kiln members can take advantage of the fresh mountain air and sunshine in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Learn more about our design process here.

May 24 — Wellness

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Barely Open, Happenings at Kiln Meridian Heat Up

Last month, Kiln Meridian officially opened its doors! The new 50,000 sq/ft all-inclusive workspace is already becoming a fixture in the thriving Boise entrepreneurial community. Located at the crossroads of Eagle Road and I84, the coworking community and flex-office space is designed to facilitate work-life balance and bridge the gap between the office and the outdoors. Individuals and teams of all sizes (2-50) have already made Kiln their home. Let us give you a taste of the ongoing festivities: The Kiln Meridian ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration, on April 21st, brought more than 200 people together in the space. Most importantly, the party featured “local everything!” Local artist and owner of Boise Creative Center, Alex Vega, joined the event, and will be offering pop-galleries in Kiln starting this summer. Spencer Batt, a local guitarist and member of the Soul Serene band, provided music for the event. Local bluegrass band, HillFolk Noir, was also featured. Vision Kit, a local photography studio, captured the event beautifully. Kiln Meridian Community Director, Jen Trammel, said, “we’re really happy with the response from the Meridian community, and we know Kiln is becoming a staple for creatives and entrepreneurs in the greater Meridian metropolitan area.” Kiln members have been busy with new events, including a Barre3 pop-up community class, lunch break yoga resets, and sound bath classes, offered through partnerships with local wellness companies including The Mind Beauty Soul and Barre3. Kiln Meridian’s first “Lunch and Learn” session will be hosted this month, featuring a women in business panel. The female leaders will discuss the differences between traditional business and high-growth startups. In other news, Kiln is hosting an event on May 17th, sponsored by BVA, that will invite athletes at Boise State and other high-achieving students in the Boise area to come to the Kiln Space for a discussion on sports and business, hosted by Rys Training. Speaking of athletic training, Kiln Meridian’s two gym spaces, which feature a rowing machine, free weights, a Peloton bike, and showers, are open to members. Kiln is also bringing local caterers, like Haute Foods, to the space for member lunches. And the Cinco de Mayo networking and snacking event was a hit among members starting to build community in the workplace. Finally, in honor of mental health awareness this May, the Kiln Cart is circulating throughout the workspace with lavender toilettes, stress balls, and gratitude cards. These wellness interventions are a reminder that work-life balance should be a priority in the workplace, and promote the destigmatization of mental health among professionals. There are so many happenings at Kiln Meridian, and our bustling community is welcoming members with open arms. Jen Trammel said, “it’s so hard to get a feeling for Kiln over the phone. If you’re curious about the space, we’d love to take you on a tour.” Book a tour here!

May 13 — Community

Kicking Things Off This Spring at Kiln Boulder

Kiln Boulder is bustling this spring! Our team has been busy programming and hosting events for Kiln members and the larger Boulder, Colorado community. Here’s a taste of what we have going on: 1) The Boulder-based non-profit organization, Community Cycles, is hosting its inaugural Bicycle Film Festival on Friday, April 22nd at Kiln. The Earth Day event is open to the public, and will feature an international selection of short films from a range of filmmaking styles. Proceeds from the event will support the cycling community in Boulder and support Community Cycle’s “work to make a better Boulder for people who ride bicycles” through initiatives, their bike shop, and local advocacy. In a recent article published by Community Cycles, Paige Bownds, Member Experience Manager of Kiln Boulder said, “Kiln is focused on reducing our carbon footprint with solar panels and other environmentally friendly measures. The work being done by Community Cycles that promotes health and wellness, as well as the reduction of carbon footprints align with our mission here at Kiln as well.” Buy your ticket to the Bicycle Film Festival here and join us at Kiln on April 22nd, 2022 at 5pm, 7pm or 9pm! 2) Members at Kiln Boulder are inspiring each other and sharing their passions throughout the coworking space. Kylie Kwon, a life coach, spiritual healer, and Kiln member has been hosting a Monday Morning Meditation and Sound Healing series. This series is open to Kiln members hoping to get involved in the burgeoning mindfulness movement in the Boulder area, and serves as an excellent example of members spreading their platform and building visibility within the Kiln community. On March 10th, Boulder had guest speaker Max Rosencrantz for a luncheon workshop titled “A Career Worth Loving” on personal growth and happiness in your career. On March 24th, a “luncheon learn” session hosted by the V School introduced Kiln members to our recent partnership with the V School, an online web development and UX/UI design program. Read more about this exciting partnership, where Kiln is awarding one full-ride, $21,000 scholarship to V School, and supporting another 1M in partial scholarship opportunities here. A few times per month, Kiln Boulder hosts coffee and bagel chats, where a member shares their entrepreneurial journey and learnings with like-minded professionals. It’s been a great way for members to meet each other and learn from shared experiences. Finally, Kiln member and Boulder-based artist, Jason T Graves, recently painted a beautiful mural in the coworking space! We are thrilled with the result, which truly imbues Kiln with a creative feel. 3) Earlier this spring, Kiln hosted a kick-off event for the Boulder International Film Festival in our coworking space. Nearly 100 people attended, including local philanthropists and international film stars and Oscar-winning directors. Named on the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” in the world, The Boulder International Film Festival features new feature films, documentaries, and shorts. It was great to welcome this organization to Kiln. Here’s more information on hosting your next event at Kiln. Our team works closely with each host to coordinate and plan events. Please fill out the Kiln event form and a member of our team will be in touch. We look forward to working with you! kiln.co/meetKiln loves our Boulder, Colorado community. Things are busier than ever in our coworking space, and there’s always an upcoming event to attend. We look forward to meeting you there!

Apr 15 — Community

[Press Release] Kiln Announces Upgrade and Expansion in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY – A surge in demand and growing waitlist for its flexible-office space and coworking community have driven Kiln to nearly double the size of its downtown Salt Lake City location at The Gateway. Set for completion in late spring of this year, the ambitious project will feature an array of lifestyle-driven, cutting-edge amenities and workspaces. The expansion comes during a time of increased national need for hybrid workplace and flex-office solutions amplified by the pandemic. Kiln creates visionary coworking communities across the Mountain West and West Coast that re-imagine the modern workplace. Its beautifully designed, amenity-rich spaces encourage members to invest in their wellbeing and perform at their best. “Now more than ever, the traditional office environment has little appeal to most professionals. This drives our passion to design thoughtful spaces to address the evolving needs of teams and individuals,” explains Kiln Founder and CEO Arian Lewis. “Kiln focuses on fostering community within our workspaces and making it easier for companies to embrace a hybrid work model. While the pandemic diminished the need for businesses to have their own headquarters or to maintain long-term office leases, leaders recognize the ability to gather and collaborate remains critical to the success of their organizations and employee wellbeing.” According to real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, 63 percent of employees now prefer a hybrid model versus working exclusively in an office or at home. Kiln’s unique flex-office solutions allow startups and individual companies to offer a high-quality, wellness and lifestyle-driven workspace that is move-in ready at reasonable total occupancy costs. While Kiln continues to cater to entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, and rapidly scaling teams, the expansion of Kiln Salt Lake City is designed to serve larger teams and companies seeking an experiential workspace. This expansion is similar to Kiln’s 2020 project, which added a second location in Lehi, Utah to meet increasing demand from teams of 20-plus looking to leave a traditional, corporate lease. Kiln memberships range from shared coworking desks for individuals to private office spaces accommodating teams of 2 to 50 employees. All Kiln memberships come with access to all-inclusive amenities. Wellness rooms, sit-to-stand desks, podcast studios and virtual meeting solutions allow members to accomplish their professional work, while conveniently incorporating creativity and wellness. The expanded Kiln Salt Lake City, will include:● A variety of virtual conference & meeting rooms● Video & podcasting studios● Virtual meeting booths● Deep work rooms● Executive private offices for one to two people● Workshops studio offices with space for storage● Private solo-gym for individual workouts● A micro-atrium● A flex event space Jointly developed with The Boyer Company, the expansion consists of an additional 21,000 square feet for a total of 54,000 square feet. “We are incredibly grateful to collaborate with Kiln to provide an enhanced workspace community to Salt Lake City, one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S,” says Nate Boyer, President of The Boyer Company, who is partnering with Kiln on the construction and design of The Gateway location. “Flex office spaces are integral to the future of the workplace and will soon become the new standard for how and where people work. Our goal is to create a space that maintains Kiln’s position at the forefront of this workplace revolution.” Kiln currently boasts five locations with Kiln Meridian, the sixth and largest location opening its doors in April with 50,000 square feet to serve the greater Boise, Idaho area. Additional Mountain West locations, including Provo, Utah, are in various stages of development. Details will be announced in the coming months.

Apr 14 — Community

Kiln x V School Partnership

Kiln is thrilled to announce a new partnership with V School, an online web development and UX/UI design program that helps its students land their dream tech jobs. This partnership came to fruition thanks to our shared interests in tech, education, career development, and community. Kiln is awarding one full-ride, $21,000 scholarship to V School, and supporting another 1M in partial scholarship opportunities. The purpose of these scholarships are to help techies and people with non-technical backgrounds alike gain all of the skills needed to land an industry job. The curriculum guides students through all phases of learning, including building a portfolio and preparing for interviews. Graduates of the V School work at companies ranging from Apple to IBM to Divvy. Want to master FullStack JavaScript Web Development? Hoping to gain insight on digital user experience and design? Whether you’re looking to launch a career in tech, or gain a leg up at your current job with new skills, this is a unique opportunity. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis from now until June 1st, 2022. Interested applicants can find more information here. The partnership also grants Kiln members free access to the V School’s Intro to Tech coursework, which features 40 hours of coding, UX/UI design, and web development training. Asynchronous curriculum content is supplemented with live workshops. Kiln members can also opt-in to a private slack workspace where they can meet other learners and gain access to mentors and instructors. Register here.As our partnership progresses, Kiln and the V School will be hosting joint “Lunch and Learn” events at each of our coworking and flex-office communities throughout Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Keep an eye out for exciting upcoming events here.

Mar 14 — Partnerships

Celebrating Black History Month at Kiln

Throughout the month of February, Kiln celebrated Black History Month. The theme for the 2022 celebration was Black Health and Wellness, which examined how the American healthcare system has chronically underserved the African American community, and celebrated the legacy of Black contributors, scholars, and practitioners in Western medicine. Throughout the month, we set out to: Celebrate the contributions of Black Americans, specifically those in healthcare, who serve our communities and demonstrate resilience and strength. We studied James McCune Smith (1813-1865), the first Black American to receive a medical degree (albeit from the University of Glasgow Medical School due to racist admissions practices within the U.S.), the first Black pharmacy owner in the US, and the first Black physician to have a publication in U.S. medical journal. We learned about advocate Alexa Irene Canady, who in addition to becoming the first Black neurosurgeon in the U.S. and having a career as the Chief of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, is a champion for young women pursuing careers in medicine and neurosurgery. Read more about Dr. Canady here. To read more about reducing racial disparities in health care, we suggest the CommonWealth Fund’s report and Emory University’s public health reading list on racial health disparities. –––Share the success of Black entrepreneurs and highlight Black-owned small businesses.This list of Black-owned businesses near Kiln Boulder and throughout Boulder County, Colorado is full of restaurants, retail, and lifestyle businesses, and features local Black artists, real estate agents, and professionals in the area. Here’s another list we’ve been utilizing, which focuses on Black-owned Utah food businesses, ranging from restaurants to markets to bakeries to food trucks. Read more about why it’s crucial to support Black-owned businesses on the consumer and corporate levels here. We highlighted several of Inc.’s top female founders, including Crystal Etienne, founder of Ruby Love, a company creating apparel that makes menstrual periods more manageable and less shameful, and Mandy Price, founder of Kanarys which helps other companies address systemic racism in the workplace. –––Learn alongside you, as we explored strategies for correcting systemic underinvestment in Black communities.Black founders are instrumental in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems with new technologies and innovative thinking. Still, they disproportionately lack access to funding resources needed to launch their businesses. In fact, while more than 13% of the U.S. population is African American, Black entrepreneurs only received 1.2% of the total venture capital invested in U.S. startups in early 2021. Even worse, Black founders only received 0.6% of all venture capital deployed in 2020. Some funds that are making a difference to correct this paradox include: Google’s Black Founders Fund, which provides non-dilutive cash awards to Black led startups that have participated in our programs or have been nominated by our partner community or a previous recipient. The fund also provides recipients with Google Cloud credits, Google.org Ads grants, and hands-on support to help their startup grow.Collab Capital is “an investment fund supporting Black-founders to build sustainable, innovation-centered businesses”Black-led venture capital funds including Concrete Rose, Reign Ventures, Plexo Capital, and Noemis VenturesFor further reading, check out “The Essential Funding Guide for Entrepreneurs of Color” published by Inc. –––Promote resources for further learning and donations.This month we read articles from the Harvard Business Review titled “A VCs Guide to Investing in Black Founders” and “Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism or Just Talking About It?” and “How Organizations can Support the Mental Health of Black Employees.” We also recommend UC Berkeley’s free small business toolkit, which contains sixty resources and marketing tips for Black entrepreneurs. You can access it here. Kiln has also been active in hosting events of our own to promote further learning within our coworking communities. On March 8th, we’re hosting Roy Banks, CEO of Weave HQ, to lead a discussion on how to build and lead a diverse and inclusive company. –––Black History is American History. We’re looking forward to continuing to support Black entrepreneurs, leaders, and advocates for change.

Feb 25 — Community

Finding Balance At Kiln

Kiln is all about balance. It’s our mission to introduce wellness in the workplace because we believe that the two should go hand-in-hand. That’s why each of our Kiln communities hosts mindfulness classes, is flooded with natural light and greenery, offers nutritious snacks in our cafes, and has dedicated rooms with massage chairs for quiet meditation. Still, it’s challenging to find consistent balance between your professional and personal worlds. In fact, you can cycle around a good equilibrium, but perfect balance is not something you achieve once, forever. Here’s how the Kiln experience helps individuals and teams strike a better balance: [Not Your Average Work Day - Kiln] Making Work-Life Balance Attainable: Today’s work culture expects everyone to be online and accessible all of the time. Microsoft published its 2021 Work Trend Index: Annual Report, reporting an increase in expected availability of workers, as evidenced by low response times, increased virtual chatting and emailing between employees, more time spent in meetings, and more shared document working. Microsoft also describes the toll of ad hoc scheduling, and the skyrocketing and unsustainable levels of digital engagement that most employees have adopted. Now, more than ever, it’s important to set times to disconnect and disengage from your work. When you focus on other pursuits, like self-care, your working productivity will only benefit. Kiln locations have quiet spaces designed to help you reconnect with yourself; wellness rooms have low-lighting and massage chairs. We program regular yoga classes, sound-healing sessions, and outdoor movement sessions. See our list of upcoming events here. Every Kiln membership comes with perks outside of the workplace, too. Discounts to local restaurants, gyms, massage studios, and hotels make hosting clients and potential hires, as well as supporting your own travel between home and Kiln (and between Kiln locations) easy. Fostering Balance between Work and Fun: To boost your engagement with work, we recommend you (re)commit to spontaneity. That’s why all of our workplace locations are situated in bustling metropolitan areas, where recreational activities, restaurants, and live music venues are just moments away from Kiln. At Kiln Boulder and Kiln Park City, members meet up to ski and bike. At Kiln Lehi and Kiln Salt Lake City, hiking groups make the most of the beautiful trails nearby. Get out of your comfort zone by attending Kiln events and programming, which range from our Startup Series, to happy hours, to 3D printing workshops. Learning a new skill and meeting like-minded professionals helps us to feel connected to a community and foster a sense of belonging. Optimizing the Balance between Teamwork and Solo Progress: Kiln caters towards entrepreneurs, creatives, freelancers, and small teams. When you’re building anything great, but especially when you’re doing it alone, it is easy to become siloed. Other times, when you’re leading a team, it becomes difficult to carve out time for individual reflection amidst the demands of leadership. Kiln can help you find balance between individual and team contributions. If you’re a leader, we suggest defining times, spaces, and methods for team collaboration. Maybe you book a Kiln conference room each Monday morning to sync, or build company culture at Kiln Apres Work events. If you’re accustomed to working on your own, maybe you use a Kiln recording studio to start a podcast and share your wisdom with the broader entrepreneurial community. Or, you could spend Wednesdays working from the cafe area to maximize your interactions with new people. At Kiln, our community teams are here to help you strike a healthier balance between professional and personal pursuits. See it to believe it…book a tour at any of our Kiln locations here!

Feb 17 — Community

4 Ways Coworking Can Improve Mental Health

This May, Kiln is celebrating mental health awareness. Many of us can speak to the toll that Covid-19 took on our emotional wellbeing. Between economic losses, job insecurity, and screen fatigue, many of us are still adapting. But the benefits of coworking are well studied. Coworking can improve your social support system, create routine, improve productivity, and help you establish a “work rhythm”.Here are four ways that Kiln is working year-round to improve the mental health of our members. Coworking communities can improve mental health by: 1) Destigmatizing Mental HealthKiln creates a community where each member feels socially supported. Our locations in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho each host regular events focused on finding career fulfillment, work-life balance, and belonging. For example, in March, Kiln Boulder invited guest speaker, Max Rosencrantz, for a luncheon workshop titled, “A Career Worth Loving” on personal growth and happiness in your career. This month, Chargebee hosted a Cultural Inclusion & Diversity presentation today at Kiln Lehi, with a presentation by Camlyn Giddins from Encircle, a youth LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization.At Kiln Park City, monthly Women’s Inspired Network events give women in the Kiln community an opportunity to share anecdotal career and personal stories. Last month, Betty Morin led a discussion centering around the word “reinvent” and what it means to her. Kiln believes that destigmatizing mental health, through conversations that remove associations of shame or self-consciousness, has ripple effects that can be felt by Kiln members, their networks, and their communities at large. As a daily reminder of this effort, the Kiln Cart in Meridian this month is stocked with lavender toilettes, stress balls, and gratitude journals. Let’s normalize taking inventory of our emotional wellbeing on a daily basis. 2) Offering Wellness ClassesThe Kiln team believes that focusing on the mind and the body can improve mental health. That’s why each of our coworking communities hosts wellness and fitness classes on a weekly basis. At Kiln Park City, groups of members often mountain bike or ski together. Kiln is located in Kimball Junction, just minutes away from the slopes and from the best local hiking and biking trails. Additionally, Kiln Park City recently hosted a Sound Bath event in partnership with Mountain Town Music and Wild Women Tribe. All proceeds went to the Peace House, a local safe shelter dedicated to ending family violence and abuse. At Kiln Boulder, Kylie Kwon, a life coach, spiritual healer, and Kiln member has been hosting a Monday Morning Meditation and Sound Healing series. This series is open to Kiln members hoping to get involved in the burgeoning mindfulness movement in the Boulder area.At Kiln Meridian, members are trying new events including a Barre3 pop-up community class, lunch break yoga resets, and sound bath classes, offered through partnerships with local wellness companies including The Mind Beauty Soul and Barre3. And of course, at Kiln Salt Lake, weekly yoga classes with Kelly are a hit. We put health at the forefront of our programming so that Kiln becomes a one-stop shop for all of your needs. Taking breaks throughout your work day, establishing a routine that includes movement, and getting outside all have proven benefits to your wellbeing. 3) Building Your NetworkFostering connections within your team, and beyond, is an important part of improving your mental health. In a coworking community, you never know who you are going to rub shoulders with.If you’re used to working from home, you may find that being at Kiln decreases loneliness and isolation. Kiln events are focused on creating community. You might try cocktail club, Apres Work happy hours, Speaker Series, trivia nights, and Waffle Wednesdays. If you’re accustomed to working in a traditional corporate environment, you might find the creative energy at Kiln to be compelling. Instead of learning just from people in your industry, you might learn from artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs, too. Attend Kiln events ranging from 3D Printing workshops and Knowledge Sharing workshops, or panel discussions with VCs, metaverse and Web3 experts, and founders. Kiln Park City even leverages a partnership with Pando, an entrepreneurial community supporting local ventures. Browse a list of our upcoming events here. 4) Varying Your Work EnvironmentVarying your work environment can help you achieve a work rhythm, boost productivity, and feel happier. Each Kiln location dedicates 20% of its total square footage to open-layout coworking space and 80% to private flex-offices. Each location also features all-inclusive amenities ranging from theaters, atriums, cafes, gyms, podcast studios, and more. During Covid-19, when many of us began to work from home, it was nice to move between the couch, desk, table, and the outdoors throughout the workday. The creature comforts we discovered while working from home are replicated at Kiln. All of our spaces are multi-use and multi-modal. We even allow dogs! Kiln members can vary their work environment, moving between conference rooms, shared desks, standing desks, cafe-seating, private phone booths, and couches. Whether you’re looking for a quiet environment without ambient noise, or an energetic space to strike up a conversation, you’ll be sure to find it at Kiln. We also have outdoor spaces where Kiln members can take advantage of the fresh mountain air and sunshine in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Learn more about our design process here.

May 24 — Wellness

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Barely Open, Happenings at Kiln Meridian Heat Up

Last month, Kiln Meridian officially opened its doors! The new 50,000 sq/ft all-inclusive workspace is already becoming a fixture in the thriving Boise entrepreneurial community. Located at the crossroads of Eagle Road and I84, the coworking community and flex-office space is designed to facilitate work-life balance and bridge the gap between the office and the outdoors. Individuals and teams of all sizes (2-50) have already made Kiln their home. Let us give you a taste of the ongoing festivities: The Kiln Meridian ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration, on April 21st, brought more than 200 people together in the space. Most importantly, the party featured “local everything!” Local artist and owner of Boise Creative Center, Alex Vega, joined the event, and will be offering pop-galleries in Kiln starting this summer. Spencer Batt, a local guitarist and member of the Soul Serene band, provided music for the event. Local bluegrass band, HillFolk Noir, was also featured. Vision Kit, a local photography studio, captured the event beautifully. Kiln Meridian Community Director, Jen Trammel, said, “we’re really happy with the response from the Meridian community, and we know Kiln is becoming a staple for creatives and entrepreneurs in the greater Meridian metropolitan area.” Kiln members have been busy with new events, including a Barre3 pop-up community class, lunch break yoga resets, and sound bath classes, offered through partnerships with local wellness companies including The Mind Beauty Soul and Barre3. Kiln Meridian’s first “Lunch and Learn” session will be hosted this month, featuring a women in business panel. The female leaders will discuss the differences between traditional business and high-growth startups. In other news, Kiln is hosting an event on May 17th, sponsored by BVA, that will invite athletes at Boise State and other high-achieving students in the Boise area to come to the Kiln Space for a discussion on sports and business, hosted by Rys Training. Speaking of athletic training, Kiln Meridian’s two gym spaces, which feature a rowing machine, free weights, a Peloton bike, and showers, are open to members. Kiln is also bringing local caterers, like Haute Foods, to the space for member lunches. And the Cinco de Mayo networking and snacking event was a hit among members starting to build community in the workplace. Finally, in honor of mental health awareness this May, the Kiln Cart is circulating throughout the workspace with lavender toilettes, stress balls, and gratitude cards. These wellness interventions are a reminder that work-life balance should be a priority in the workplace, and promote the destigmatization of mental health among professionals. There are so many happenings at Kiln Meridian, and our bustling community is welcoming members with open arms. Jen Trammel said, “it’s so hard to get a feeling for Kiln over the phone. If you’re curious about the space, we’d love to take you on a tour.” Book a tour here!

May 13 — Community

Kicking Things Off This Spring at Kiln Boulder

Kiln Boulder is bustling this spring! Our team has been busy programming and hosting events for Kiln members and the larger Boulder, Colorado community. Here’s a taste of what we have going on: 1) The Boulder-based non-profit organization, Community Cycles, is hosting its inaugural Bicycle Film Festival on Friday, April 22nd at Kiln. The Earth Day event is open to the public, and will feature an international selection of short films from a range of filmmaking styles. Proceeds from the event will support the cycling community in Boulder and support Community Cycle’s “work to make a better Boulder for people who ride bicycles” through initiatives, their bike shop, and local advocacy. In a recent article published by Community Cycles, Paige Bownds, Member Experience Manager of Kiln Boulder said, “Kiln is focused on reducing our carbon footprint with solar panels and other environmentally friendly measures. The work being done by Community Cycles that promotes health and wellness, as well as the reduction of carbon footprints align with our mission here at Kiln as well.” Buy your ticket to the Bicycle Film Festival here and join us at Kiln on April 22nd, 2022 at 5pm, 7pm or 9pm! 2) Members at Kiln Boulder are inspiring each other and sharing their passions throughout the coworking space. Kylie Kwon, a life coach, spiritual healer, and Kiln member has been hosting a Monday Morning Meditation and Sound Healing series. This series is open to Kiln members hoping to get involved in the burgeoning mindfulness movement in the Boulder area, and serves as an excellent example of members spreading their platform and building visibility within the Kiln community. On March 10th, Boulder had guest speaker Max Rosencrantz for a luncheon workshop titled “A Career Worth Loving” on personal growth and happiness in your career. On March 24th, a “luncheon learn” session hosted by the V School introduced Kiln members to our recent partnership with the V School, an online web development and UX/UI design program. Read more about this exciting partnership, where Kiln is awarding one full-ride, $21,000 scholarship to V School, and supporting another 1M in partial scholarship opportunities here. A few times per month, Kiln Boulder hosts coffee and bagel chats, where a member shares their entrepreneurial journey and learnings with like-minded professionals. It’s been a great way for members to meet each other and learn from shared experiences. Finally, Kiln member and Boulder-based artist, Jason T Graves, recently painted a beautiful mural in the coworking space! We are thrilled with the result, which truly imbues Kiln with a creative feel. 3) Earlier this spring, Kiln hosted a kick-off event for the Boulder International Film Festival in our coworking space. Nearly 100 people attended, including local philanthropists and international film stars and Oscar-winning directors. Named on the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” in the world, The Boulder International Film Festival features new feature films, documentaries, and shorts. It was great to welcome this organization to Kiln. Here’s more information on hosting your next event at Kiln. Our team works closely with each host to coordinate and plan events. Please fill out the Kiln event form and a member of our team will be in touch. We look forward to working with you! kiln.co/meetKiln loves our Boulder, Colorado community. Things are busier than ever in our coworking space, and there’s always an upcoming event to attend. We look forward to meeting you there!

Apr 15 — Community

[Press Release] Kiln Announces Upgrade and Expansion in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY – A surge in demand and growing waitlist for its flexible-office space and coworking community have driven Kiln to nearly double the size of its downtown Salt Lake City location at The Gateway. Set for completion in late spring of this year, the ambitious project will feature an array of lifestyle-driven, cutting-edge amenities and workspaces. The expansion comes during a time of increased national need for hybrid workplace and flex-office solutions amplified by the pandemic. Kiln creates visionary coworking communities across the Mountain West and West Coast that re-imagine the modern workplace. Its beautifully designed, amenity-rich spaces encourage members to invest in their wellbeing and perform at their best. “Now more than ever, the traditional office environment has little appeal to most professionals. This drives our passion to design thoughtful spaces to address the evolving needs of teams and individuals,” explains Kiln Founder and CEO Arian Lewis. “Kiln focuses on fostering community within our workspaces and making it easier for companies to embrace a hybrid work model. While the pandemic diminished the need for businesses to have their own headquarters or to maintain long-term office leases, leaders recognize the ability to gather and collaborate remains critical to the success of their organizations and employee wellbeing.” According to real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, 63 percent of employees now prefer a hybrid model versus working exclusively in an office or at home. Kiln’s unique flex-office solutions allow startups and individual companies to offer a high-quality, wellness and lifestyle-driven workspace that is move-in ready at reasonable total occupancy costs. While Kiln continues to cater to entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, and rapidly scaling teams, the expansion of Kiln Salt Lake City is designed to serve larger teams and companies seeking an experiential workspace. This expansion is similar to Kiln’s 2020 project, which added a second location in Lehi, Utah to meet increasing demand from teams of 20-plus looking to leave a traditional, corporate lease. Kiln memberships range from shared coworking desks for individuals to private office spaces accommodating teams of 2 to 50 employees. All Kiln memberships come with access to all-inclusive amenities. Wellness rooms, sit-to-stand desks, podcast studios and virtual meeting solutions allow members to accomplish their professional work, while conveniently incorporating creativity and wellness. The expanded Kiln Salt Lake City, will include:● A variety of virtual conference & meeting rooms● Video & podcasting studios● Virtual meeting booths● Deep work rooms● Executive private offices for one to two people● Workshops studio offices with space for storage● Private solo-gym for individual workouts● A micro-atrium● A flex event space Jointly developed with The Boyer Company, the expansion consists of an additional 21,000 square feet for a total of 54,000 square feet. “We are incredibly grateful to collaborate with Kiln to provide an enhanced workspace community to Salt Lake City, one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S,” says Nate Boyer, President of The Boyer Company, who is partnering with Kiln on the construction and design of The Gateway location. “Flex office spaces are integral to the future of the workplace and will soon become the new standard for how and where people work. Our goal is to create a space that maintains Kiln’s position at the forefront of this workplace revolution.” Kiln currently boasts five locations with Kiln Meridian, the sixth and largest location opening its doors in April with 50,000 square feet to serve the greater Boise, Idaho area. Additional Mountain West locations, including Provo, Utah, are in various stages of development. Details will be announced in the coming months.

Apr 14 — Community

Kiln x V School Partnership

Kiln is thrilled to announce a new partnership with V School, an online web development and UX/UI design program that helps its students land their dream tech jobs. This partnership came to fruition thanks to our shared interests in tech, education, career development, and community. Kiln is awarding one full-ride, $21,000 scholarship to V School, and supporting another 1M in partial scholarship opportunities. The purpose of these scholarships are to help techies and people with non-technical backgrounds alike gain all of the skills needed to land an industry job. The curriculum guides students through all phases of learning, including building a portfolio and preparing for interviews. Graduates of the V School work at companies ranging from Apple to IBM to Divvy. Want to master FullStack JavaScript Web Development? Hoping to gain insight on digital user experience and design? Whether you’re looking to launch a career in tech, or gain a leg up at your current job with new skills, this is a unique opportunity. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis from now until June 1st, 2022. Interested applicants can find more information here. The partnership also grants Kiln members free access to the V School’s Intro to Tech coursework, which features 40 hours of coding, UX/UI design, and web development training. Asynchronous curriculum content is supplemented with live workshops. Kiln members can also opt-in to a private slack workspace where they can meet other learners and gain access to mentors and instructors. Register here.As our partnership progresses, Kiln and the V School will be hosting joint “Lunch and Learn” events at each of our coworking and flex-office communities throughout Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Keep an eye out for exciting upcoming events here.

Mar 14 — Partnerships

Celebrating Black History Month at Kiln

Throughout the month of February, Kiln celebrated Black History Month. The theme for the 2022 celebration was Black Health and Wellness, which examined how the American healthcare system has chronically underserved the African American community, and celebrated the legacy of Black contributors, scholars, and practitioners in Western medicine. Throughout the month, we set out to: Celebrate the contributions of Black Americans, specifically those in healthcare, who serve our communities and demonstrate resilience and strength. We studied James McCune Smith (1813-1865), the first Black American to receive a medical degree (albeit from the University of Glasgow Medical School due to racist admissions practices within the U.S.), the first Black pharmacy owner in the US, and the first Black physician to have a publication in U.S. medical journal. We learned about advocate Alexa Irene Canady, who in addition to becoming the first Black neurosurgeon in the U.S. and having a career as the Chief of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, is a champion for young women pursuing careers in medicine and neurosurgery. Read more about Dr. Canady here. To read more about reducing racial disparities in health care, we suggest the CommonWealth Fund’s report and Emory University’s public health reading list on racial health disparities. –––Share the success of Black entrepreneurs and highlight Black-owned small businesses.This list of Black-owned businesses near Kiln Boulder and throughout Boulder County, Colorado is full of restaurants, retail, and lifestyle businesses, and features local Black artists, real estate agents, and professionals in the area. Here’s another list we’ve been utilizing, which focuses on Black-owned Utah food businesses, ranging from restaurants to markets to bakeries to food trucks. Read more about why it’s crucial to support Black-owned businesses on the consumer and corporate levels here. We highlighted several of Inc.’s top female founders, including Crystal Etienne, founder of Ruby Love, a company creating apparel that makes menstrual periods more manageable and less shameful, and Mandy Price, founder of Kanarys which helps other companies address systemic racism in the workplace. –––Learn alongside you, as we explored strategies for correcting systemic underinvestment in Black communities.Black founders are instrumental in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems with new technologies and innovative thinking. Still, they disproportionately lack access to funding resources needed to launch their businesses. In fact, while more than 13% of the U.S. population is African American, Black entrepreneurs only received 1.2% of the total venture capital invested in U.S. startups in early 2021. Even worse, Black founders only received 0.6% of all venture capital deployed in 2020. Some funds that are making a difference to correct this paradox include: Google’s Black Founders Fund, which provides non-dilutive cash awards to Black led startups that have participated in our programs or have been nominated by our partner community or a previous recipient. The fund also provides recipients with Google Cloud credits, Google.org Ads grants, and hands-on support to help their startup grow.Collab Capital is “an investment fund supporting Black-founders to build sustainable, innovation-centered businesses”Black-led venture capital funds including Concrete Rose, Reign Ventures, Plexo Capital, and Noemis VenturesFor further reading, check out “The Essential Funding Guide for Entrepreneurs of Color” published by Inc. –––Promote resources for further learning and donations.This month we read articles from the Harvard Business Review titled “A VCs Guide to Investing in Black Founders” and “Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism or Just Talking About It?” and “How Organizations can Support the Mental Health of Black Employees.” We also recommend UC Berkeley’s free small business toolkit, which contains sixty resources and marketing tips for Black entrepreneurs. You can access it here. Kiln has also been active in hosting events of our own to promote further learning within our coworking communities. On March 8th, we’re hosting Roy Banks, CEO of Weave HQ, to lead a discussion on how to build and lead a diverse and inclusive company. –––Black History is American History. We’re looking forward to continuing to support Black entrepreneurs, leaders, and advocates for change.

Feb 25 — Community

Finding Balance At Kiln

Kiln is all about balance. It’s our mission to introduce wellness in the workplace because we believe that the two should go hand-in-hand. That’s why each of our Kiln communities hosts mindfulness classes, is flooded with natural light and greenery, offers nutritious snacks in our cafes, and has dedicated rooms with massage chairs for quiet meditation. Still, it’s challenging to find consistent balance between your professional and personal worlds. In fact, you can cycle around a good equilibrium, but perfect balance is not something you achieve once, forever. Here’s how the Kiln experience helps individuals and teams strike a better balance: [Not Your Average Work Day - Kiln] Making Work-Life Balance Attainable: Today’s work culture expects everyone to be online and accessible all of the time. Microsoft published its 2021 Work Trend Index: Annual Report, reporting an increase in expected availability of workers, as evidenced by low response times, increased virtual chatting and emailing between employees, more time spent in meetings, and more shared document working. Microsoft also describes the toll of ad hoc scheduling, and the skyrocketing and unsustainable levels of digital engagement that most employees have adopted. Now, more than ever, it’s important to set times to disconnect and disengage from your work. When you focus on other pursuits, like self-care, your working productivity will only benefit. Kiln locations have quiet spaces designed to help you reconnect with yourself; wellness rooms have low-lighting and massage chairs. We program regular yoga classes, sound-healing sessions, and outdoor movement sessions. See our list of upcoming events here. Every Kiln membership comes with perks outside of the workplace, too. Discounts to local restaurants, gyms, massage studios, and hotels make hosting clients and potential hires, as well as supporting your own travel between home and Kiln (and between Kiln locations) easy. Fostering Balance between Work and Fun: To boost your engagement with work, we recommend you (re)commit to spontaneity. That’s why all of our workplace locations are situated in bustling metropolitan areas, where recreational activities, restaurants, and live music venues are just moments away from Kiln. At Kiln Boulder and Kiln Park City, members meet up to ski and bike. At Kiln Lehi and Kiln Salt Lake City, hiking groups make the most of the beautiful trails nearby. Get out of your comfort zone by attending Kiln events and programming, which range from our Startup Series, to happy hours, to 3D printing workshops. Learning a new skill and meeting like-minded professionals helps us to feel connected to a community and foster a sense of belonging. Optimizing the Balance between Teamwork and Solo Progress: Kiln caters towards entrepreneurs, creatives, freelancers, and small teams. When you’re building anything great, but especially when you’re doing it alone, it is easy to become siloed. Other times, when you’re leading a team, it becomes difficult to carve out time for individual reflection amidst the demands of leadership. Kiln can help you find balance between individual and team contributions. If you’re a leader, we suggest defining times, spaces, and methods for team collaboration. Maybe you book a Kiln conference room each Monday morning to sync, or build company culture at Kiln Apres Work events. If you’re accustomed to working on your own, maybe you use a Kiln recording studio to start a podcast and share your wisdom with the broader entrepreneurial community. Or, you could spend Wednesdays working from the cafe area to maximize your interactions with new people. At Kiln, our community teams are here to help you strike a healthier balance between professional and personal pursuits. See it to believe it…book a tour at any of our Kiln locations here!

Feb 17 — Community

Kiln Startup Showcase Accepted Applicants

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