By Kelsey Durham
Techies in Queens and on Long Island now have their own fully-wired hangout, and it is in the heart of Bayside.
Lake Success, L.I., resident Dani Horowitz recently launched her latest business endeavour called DaniPad, an open, co-working community where technology professionals are invited to come and network with others while they work. The facility is designed to serve as an office setting for IT employees who work from home and are sometimes in search of a typical office environment in which to do their work.
“Over the years I started noticing that I would just sit and stare at a computer all day,” said Horowitz, who has worked in the IT industry for 12 years and also spent time telecommuting. “People have their own reasons for wanting to get out of the house, whether it’s because it’s too distracting or you just want to see people. I got sick of sitting at home in my pajamas all day.”
Horowitz said that when the economy crashed in 2008, many technology companies were forced to rethink the way they functioned, leading to the downsizing of physical office space and an increase in the number of employees who worked from home.
Though typical office workers can often envy those who can work without leaving the couch, Horowitz said technology professionals are different, often finding themselves missing the typical work environment where they can meet and have discussions with people who share their interests.
With the rise in telecommuting, she said community spaces such as hers have become increasingly popular over the past few years, but the few facilities that exist in New York City were either in Manhattan or Brooklyn.
“I’m someone who worked from home and was very successful, but I wanted to hang out with other techies,” Horowitz said. “There was nothing like this around here, so I decided to start my own.”
The new office, at 38-25 Bell Blvd., features several desks, a conference room and an employee lounge with a couch, television, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.
The atmosphere, Horowitz said, is designed to create an environment more conducive to productivity than someone’s home but also one that offers the fun and perks of a normal office job.
DaniPad opened about a month ago, and the facility already had 10 members within its first two weeks of business.
Marc Okon, a Bayside resident who has jumped at the opportunity to join, said the idea was much-needed in the area and will serve a great purpose by bringing IT workers together.
“I’ve been in the IT business for 18 years and this co-working facility is far and away the best place I’ve seen as far as a comfortable work environment,” Okon said. “It’s light years ahead in terms of qua1ity and atmosphere, and it’s going to serve as an incubator for IT talent.”
DaniPad runs on a model that Horowitz compared to a gym membership, where a base price of $150 per month gets you unlimited access to the 24/7 office facilities, and the conference room can be booked at an additional hourly rate.
She said anyone interested in joining the networking community can visit danipad.com to set up a tour, and she encourages those who work from home in the IT industry to come check out the new hangout.
“These are all smart, intelligent, successful people who just want to meet other people who do what they do,” she said. “Instead of sitting at home alone, come here and be social with us.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
