Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Libeskind, Kimberly Morin.
In 1996, Leslie was working from home running her small sales promotion and advertising company. After years in the marketing department at Polaroid, Leslie was happy to have the freedom that running a small, home-based business provided.
However, she underestimated the challenges of working from home, including the isolation and the difficulty of separating business and home life. After discussing these challenges with her accountant, he introduced her to Cheryl, then owner of Highland-March Executive Suites in Braintree, who was looking to sell the shared office center in order to move back with her family in the mid-west.
Cheryl was anxious to visit with her family, so Leslie stepped in as acting owner/manager for a one week trial to see how the business worked from the inside. After just a week, Leslie had fallen in love with Highland-March and agreed to purchase the business. Her then 16yo. daughter, Kim, came on board that spring as a part-time administrative assistant.
In 2004, a couple of years after Kim had graduated college, Leslie and Kim decided to expand the business, advancing Kim into a management position. Aiming to serve clients closer to the South Coast and Rhode Island, they selected a location in Cabot Business Park in Mansfield, MA. The Mansfield Highland-March Workspaces location has been thriving ever since.
In 2016, Leslie and Kim were approached about a commercial space for lease at Marina Bay in Quincy, MA. Having a great fondness for Marina Bay, they were excited about the opportunity to create an additional Highland-March Workspaces at such a fantastic location. The doors opened in July 2016, and offices are now available for short or long term licensing. What is next for Highland-March Workspaces, Leslie, and Kim? Only time will tell.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Choosing to be an entrepreneur is not for the weak of stomach or faint of heart, especially in such a niche industry. We are constantly trying to create awareness for our industry since many people don’t know shared office centers or workspace centers exist.
For those who have heard of the concept, many people have misconceptions about what shard office centers are and how they operate. For example, many people don’t realize that the “shared” part of the office center is the common spaces (reception area, kitchenette, conference rooms, etc.), and not the individual offices. The individual offices are licensed to only one company at a time.
In addition, many people view the concept as a short-term space solution, when the reality is that for single-person businesses or smaller operations, it may be an ideal long-term solution, as well. The industry itself has also changed in last several years so that we are able to offer larger team rooms and flex spaces, which are great options for ever-expanding tech companies or sales divisions.
Aside from simply battling common marketing issues, there are always those financial issues with which to contend. For example, during the housing market collapse and recession around 2007, many companies instantly switched over to a “work-from-home” model in order to reduce overhead from rent.
This, of course, trickled down through the shared office center industry, and we found ourselves dealing with the same issues of vacant space as many of the larger landlords. By switching our focus to assisting downsizing companies instead of growing companies, we were able to make it through the recession. Of course, it took quite a while to build back up to where we are now.
Please tell us about Highland-March Workspaces.
Highland-March Workspaces is a leading shared office/workspace center with three locations in Massachusetts: Braintree, Mansfield and at Marina Bay, Quincy. We offer furnished, serviced, ready-to-use offices hourly, daily, monthly, annually or for many years to come.
Offices include furnishings, utilities, janitorial service, some administrative service, conference room use, parking and complimentary coffee, tea, and water. Highland-March Workspaces also offer Virtual Office Plans (all of the amenities of an office without the full-time, physical space) and Conference Room Rentals with state-of-the-art A/V equipment.
Since we are family owned and operated, we are able to work with our clients to customize the plan that is best for them. Each of our locations boasts a friendly, expert staff to greet clients, answer phones and assist with administrative tasks.
Our staff is really what makes Highland-March Workspaces stand apart from the competition. Our team truly cares about each one of our clients, so they are willing to go above and beyond to really help them shine.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Wow, you want us to pick just one? Well, when I (Kim) was a child, my dad (Joe) had a boat. We used to take a family (me, mom, dad and my brother) boat trips to Marina Bay on weekends in the summer. I can remember being so excited to get ice cream on the boardwalk, check out the little shops and look at all the boats. I have to say, the nostalgia of those boat trips is a big part of the reason why we chose to put our third location at Marina Bay.
Pricing:
- Depending on location, individual office rentals start as low as $750/mo.
- Virtual Office Plans start as low as $75/mo.
- Conference Room Rentals start as low as $40/hr.
Contact Info:
- Address: 500 Victory Road 25 Braintree Hill Office Park 20 Cabot Blvd.
Suite 400 Suite 200 Suite 300
Quincy, MA 02715 Braintree, MA 02184 Mansfield, MA 02048 - Website: www.highland-march.com
- Phone: 866-317-3600
- Email: kim@highland-march.com
- Instagram: @hmworkspaces
- Facebook: @HMMarinaBay @HMBraintree @HMWorkspaces
- Twitter: @HMWorkspaces
Image Credit:
Melissa Washburn Photography
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