2 | SENIOR ADVICE July 18, 2016 | VOL. 52, No. 29
14 | GOOD THINGS HAPPENING
YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
westfaironline.com
Global tech, security provider expands to Bridgeport BY REECE ALVAREZ ralvarez@westfairinc.com
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he city of Bridgeport officially welcomed its security technology provider A+ Technology and Security Solutions Inc. on July 12 in a crowded ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company’s first satellite office outside of its Bay Shore, N.Y. headquarters. The two have been working together since 2014 when the city tapped the company to develop a $2.65 million surveillance system that would allow it to reopen Pleasure Beach, monitor several parks and upgrade security systems across its municipal buildings and 40 public schools. The project also included the $1 million building of a cutting-edge
security operations command center in the city’s Margaret Morton Government Center. “Bridgeport is actually a leader in not just the region, but a leader in the nation right now as far as security technology,” said Jorge Garcia, director of the tech company’s New England operations. Garcia worked for the city for 21 years and was formerly the director of public facilities and construction management. He worked closely with A+ throughout the phases of the project. Company President David Antar said Bridgeport was the right place for the firm’s new 7,000-square-foot office at 1027 Fairfield Ave. given the city’s turnaround efforts and need for technology companies. » SECURITY, page 6
David Antar, president of A+ Technology and Security Solutions Inc. Photo by Reece Alvarez
Co-working facilities booming around county BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
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o-working — commonly defined as the use of an office or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, wherein they often share equipment and
ideas — is an area growing exponentially. According to a new report by JLL, a professional services and investment management company based in Chicago, the number of members using coworking spaces globally has been steadily increasing year on year,
and is predicted to reach 1 million by 2018. Citing Deskmag’s 2015 Global Coworking Survey, the report found that 61 percent of co-working space providers are planning to expand their operations, while nearly 80 percent expect their number of members to increase in 2016. Not surprisingly, there are several spaces dedicated to co-working around Fairfield County, with Stamford being a particular hot spot. The self-defined “city that works” has over the past few years become a hub for web designers, software designers, engineers, graphic artists, startup founders
and other entrepreneurs, aided and abetted by the presence of The University of Connecticut Digital Media Center and the Stamford Innovation Center, a co-working space that opened in 2012 in the building that served as Stamford’s original town hall at 175 Atlantic St. Coming to Stamford in August is Serendipity Labs. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Serendipity — which also has locations in midtown Manhattan, Chicago and Ridgewood, N.J. — is in the midst of an expansion that will also include new facilities in Bethesda, Md. (September), Miami
(October), Houston (December) and Princeton, N.J. (early 2017). “One hundred is our milestone number,” said Serendipity Labs CEO John Arenas. “Right now we’re looking to open one a month.” Stamford was chosen, he said, “as a great anchor for the tristate area. It’s a very supportive market for economic development, and has been very successful in attracting companies — which of course is good for us.” At 700 Canal St. in Stamford’s Harbor Point district, Serendipity’s 13,000-square-foot » CO-WORKING, page 6