Industrious Opening Flex Office Space in North Bethesda, Md.

“Industrious is focused on expanding its footprint in vibrant suburban areas like North Bethesda to provide comfortable, safe, low-commute workplace options to those looking for a flexible alternative to working from home,” Justin Stewart, Industrious’ co-founder and president, told Commercial Observer. “North Bethesda also fits perfectly as a location for the hub-and-spoke model we’re seeing companies begin to implement across suburban markets, and Industrious is an ideal partner to help companies make this transition.”

The move is also indicative of Industrious’ approach to new locations in the wake of the disruption that the coronavirus pandemic caused in the coworking/flex space sector. Rather than go it alone, Industrious has been partnering with landlords and developers, such as Federal Realty, to complement future and existing projects.

It also comes as the D.C. coworking market deals with that disruption. WeWork (WE) announced in October, for instance, that it was exiting three locations, including its original one in Washington’s Chinatown. That spot dated from 2014, but couldn’t outlast the pandemic. 

The shared workplace at Pike & Rose will occupy the fourth and fifth floors of the LEED Gold-certified building. Industrious Pike & Rose will provide 141 private suites, 11 conference rooms and 18 phone rooms. The building features contactless entry throughout the parking garage, lobby and elevators, and the space will feature a leading HVAC system to meet enhanced health and safety standards.

“Companies are empowering their employees to decide where and when they do their best work, which has led to an increase in demand for flexible workspace options like coworking,” Stewart said. “By working with a workplace provider like Industrious, companies and individual workers alike can find just the right amount of office space to suit their specific needs, and have all of the amenities and services of a traditional office experience at their fingertips to ensure a safe, comfortable workplace experience.”

This is the company’s second location in Bethesda and it also has space in seven additional D.C.-area buildings, with locations in Arlington, Alexandria and McLean, Va., as well as in D.C.’s Capitol Hill. 

“The greater Washington, D.C., market is in a new age of demand as enterprise businesses establish their headquarters here,” Stewart said. “We launched our first D.C. location in 2018 and have been excited to grow our footprint to meet demand for custom workspaces throughout the greater metro area.”

The space is scheduled to open in August.