Together, We Are a Community. Get to Know The Fellow Coworking.

Just a Couple of Fellows Getting Work Done

Follow us: @thefellowmhk

TOGETHER WE ARE A COMMUNITY

Inspire. C-H-A-N-G-E.
Innovate. Appreciate. Create.
Collaborate.
Invest & engage in the community.
Hold your head high.
Laugh. Smile. Dream.
Try everything once.
Pick up after yourself.
Forgive even when it’s hard.
Be respectful. Mind your noise levels.
Be friendly and keep an open eye.
Spread the word!
Value feedback.
Do what you love.
Break the rules once in awhile.

We are: small businesses, leaders, nonprofit directors, startups, freelancers, entrepreneurs, creatives, remote employees, students, problem solvers, risk takers, early adopters, free thinkers. unique - talented - motivated - inspiring.

The Fellow Coworking opened it’s doors in April of 2016 as a space for business owners, remote workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and non-profits to elevate their working environment and really bring people together to cultivate a better way to get work done. The Fellow has been the home base to over 90+ members and 70+ businesses in our time serving as a professional space; where many of Manhattans best took their work out of their homes and away from loud coffee shops. It provides an environment where you can host a board meeting or meet a client, while at the same time being surrounded by supportive community. The Fellow gives its members 24/7 access to the building, wifi and utilities, coffee, comfortable work spaces and, most importantly, a thriving community. 

A necessity within a productive office is the need for community. People need support in every aspect of their lives, and their jobs are no exception. Work is important and necessary for life, but it can easily turn into a draining and lonely experience, which therefore negatively effects the quality of life for the individual. A strong and supportive group of people who are sharing experiences is one of the best solutions to bringing life into the workspace. 

Here at The Fellow, we seek to create a professional atmosphere where people, who would typically work out of their home or a coffee shop surrounded by the distractions of life, can elevate their productivity while collaborating with others who have useful work experience. The Fellow offers community, partnership, opportunity, creativity and diverse learning opportunities. 

When The Fellow first opened back in 2016 with the mission to fulfill a need that was missing from our city. Now, three years and 30+ members later, it was time to grow the space. Our space is currently under construction to add a basement level, which will significantly increase our capacity and potential!

Construction is scheduled to be over by the end of June 2019, and the new floor which includes a indoor staircase entry, two private offices, dedicated desks, and a second, larger conference room with floor to ceiling windows allowing for natural sunlight to illuminate the room.

With this expansion and a completed footprint of 7,000 square feet including 8 private office, 2 conference rooms, an event space for 100+, The Fellow hopes to continue to be the leading partner and cultivator of community through coworking in Manhattan, where businesses feel empowered to get work done.

Written by: Carson Gunnigle Customer Experience Intern

Non-Profit Executive Directors Take Advantage of Flexible, Affordable Coworking

Girls On The Run

Dedicated to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident.

Interview with Candice McIntosh, Executive Director 

Follow along @gotrflinthills

Written By: Carson Gunnigle, Customer Experience Intern at The Fellow Coworking

Background of The Girls On The Run organization/ purpose.

“Girls On The Run is a national organization that was founded in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our local chapter was founded about 5 years ago, it was very volunteer led and social work driven in the schools for a few years. It was brought because the social workers saw that girls were really developing cliques and almost mean girl behaviors. They decided we could have this already prepackaged program that could be started in schools. This was very volunteer led, they did have the policies and structure to get the organization up on it’s feet with fund development. I was brought on 3 years ago to bring that structure and those formalities. When I came in we only had 10 girls and a handful of volunteer coaches and to grow to serving over 300 girls a year and 150 coaches.”

How can people get involved in GOTR?

“There are lots of ways to get involved. Volunteers and coaches are a more dedicated volunteer role, because it is ten weeks long. They have to go through our structured training program to make sure you are geared up with our curriculum to be prepared for any situation you may face as a coach. Running buddies are another great way to get involved. They help encourage the girls at the race to finish strong. Fundraising and board of directors volunteers really make our whole wheel turn.”

How have you seen the community embrace the organization? ,

“Amazingly! We are a very transient population so to offer a program here where girls are welcomed to walk and be told to be who they are and to really feel accepted for who they truly are has been really important to our community. Anyone from our teachers, schools, and businesses have been big supporters by encouraging our girls and saying ‘we got your back and will run along side you.” 

What are the ages of your participants? 

“Girls On The Run is 3rd-5th grade and our middle school program, Heart and Soul is 6-8th grade and has the same structure as Girls On The Run but a little more mature content to what girls go through at that age. We are piloting GOTR this summer for rising 2nd and 3rd graders. It is a one week long summer camp program.” The new GOTR summer camp is June 10th-14th, 2019. 

Where did you most frequently work prior to The Fellow? 

“I had the opportunity to work from home, but I knew that wasn’t for me. I was working for another business at the time and was very part-time with Girls On The Run. From our standpoint it was going to be difficult to find a space. I work alone and I was offered a basement office, and I knew I was way too social to hide in a basement. I wanted a place with lots of people and plenty of boardroom space to do our training out of. Having this all in one location has been really helpful.”

What did you know about coworking before coming to The Fellow? 

“Absolutely nothing. I just knew it was a cool idea. I had come in for a headshot and found out after talking to Josh that this would be right. This place is a family and it’s the people that make this place, it’s not the building, desks or chairs. People are really the foundation of the organization. They are the people who have shown up at my events, supported us at pancake breakfasts, or who have been running buddies for the 5k.”

How has The Fellow helped you better your organization? 

“The Fellow really gave us a landing spot where people could identify our location and drop off materials. It gives us some identification and, like I said, the opportunity to have trainings and hold board meetings.”

Do have a favorite memory from the last 5k? 

“It was absolutely amazing. We had a girl who had been training with her dad virtually. We serve a big military population and so her dad is deployed and they were hoping he was going to be able to make it. When they picked up his packet they found out he wasn’t going to be able to make it tp the race. Her mom wanted to make sure we could get him a medal anyway. The girl approached me after the race to get the medal and I said,” I want to make sure you hold your dad accountable to run that distance and she told me, “you know what, he already did! He ran his morning.” So she actually wore his bib on her back and will be medaling her Dad the next time she sees him. It’s important that our program has given the military girls and dads the opportunity to connect. It is hard to connect with your pre-teen daughter when you aren’t around on a regular bases in a way they understand, and the military understands running. This opens the conversations they talk about the topics they are learning as well as some of those things going on in their daughters lives. The finish line is the beginning for our girls and families. They know they can accomplish their goals and there are people behind them so that they don’t go through those barriers alone.”

Stand Up For Your Sister 

“Breaking down stigmas” 

Interview with  Staci Gann, Founder & Executive Director 

Follow @_sufys

Where did the idea for Stand Up For Your Sister come from? 

The idea came in 2015 when Staci was a Resident Assistant at Kansas State University and saw a great need for a conversation that was removing the stigma while opening dialog. Wanting to remove shame and fear from her female residents, a conversation was opened to empower these women and support them through the many difficult events going on in their lives. 

What topics does Stand Up For Your Sister address? 

“We talk about pretty much any topic related to mental health. We want everyone in the room who is struggling to feel validated in their struggles so we talk about family issues, mental illness, sexual assault, abuse and other disorders people may have, such as the loss of a parent. We don’t want people to say, “my struggle is too little.”

What happens at a SUFYS event?

“Well, I walk into a room full of women, typically who initially do not want to be there. Programs are just a part of sororities and people dread programs. We’ve been able to build a household name where people are excited about our program because it’s going to  be intentional. We distribute an anonymous survey with 30 questions for people to fill out. Then we will collect the surveys and redistribute them so everyone has someone else’s survey. We then read the questions out loud and if the survey you have answered yes you stand up. We do this as a visual representation of how many women struggle with that issue. Then the women get into small groups with four additional questions to build relationships and trust.”

Where do you currently hold chapters? 

Currently, Manhattan is the central location with recent expansion to the University of Kansas. By the fall SUFYS hopes to be establishing groups at Missouri State, Truman State and Wichita State with the goal of reaching five campus’s by the end of the fall 2019 semester. 

Where did you most frequently work prior to The Fellow? 

“We actually didn’t. I knew Josh and Shelby through some friends. It was a perfect centralized location.”

What did you know about coworking before coming to The Fellow? 

“I didn't know anything about coworking before The Fellow. I thought it was a cool concept and The Fellow was the first to do it in Manhattan.”

How has The Fellow helped you better your organization? 

“The Fellow has connected us to community and given our organization a location to meet away from campus. It’s a fun place to see what people are doing with community members artwork and what not.”

400 North Creative - Docuseries On Homeless Veterans

400 North Creative 

Docuseries On Homeless Veterans 

@400northcreative

Introducing Doug Barrett, a native to Georgia, a Veteran, and now founder and head of 400 North Creative, a full cinematography, photography and drone creative company. 400 North Creative helps brands and businesses with photo and video content for marketing and branding. He takes to the streets in search of the real stories that often are overlooked.

Why did this project begin?

Dougs' passion for both creativity and his fellow men and women in uniform, who are commonly referred to as the one percent, “those who at one point determined ‘I will sign my life for potentially the ultimate sacrifice to the U.S Government’”, collided in on a business trip in Chicago late in the summer of 2018. There, Doug met a veteran, Leo, whom had been left without support from the USMC and the fire department where he worked, and found himself living on the streets. Doug takes the personal time and resources necessary to go tell stories like Leo’s, remembering each person by name, “making it a point not to forget them.”

What is the end goal of this project?

The goal for this project is to have a gallery where the photos are printed and the stories are written out and shared with those who may not be able to see them on social media. The goal is to share these stories with as many people as possible for awareness and to show love to all and to have compassion with everyone heart because we all have a story.

How can those who follow along on Instagram be involved in the project/ would you want that?

“The way you can be involved is to reach out via social media.” Doug is preparing ways for others to be involved on the back end of this project.

Do you have a favorite story you've shared so far?

“Yes! His name is Samuel Lee from Atlanta Georgia. While I was visiting my son, I just happened to pass through Centennial Park and Mr. Lee (and it was probably 90 degrees that day) was sitting under a tree on top of a cardboard box. I went up and talked to him and asked him why he was out there. He said it was because he was recently kicked out out of a homeless shelter. I asked him what part of Atlanta he was from and he said, ‘well I am not really from here. I am from California but I make Atlanta home now.’ He told me he was recently kicked out of a shelter because he got caught fighting a couple of young thugs who would routinely rob him and some other veterans of their cash because they do not have bank accounts. When he was kicked out, the VA (Veterans Affairs) would not distribute his monthly check to him because he does not have an address. That means they will hold his money, so he has to go to surrounding cities to get his name on a shelter list in order to get an address so he can get his checks so he doesn't have to live on the street. He is about 60 years old.”

Are people ever surprised that you stop?

Yes. You and I talk to people all day long, but these people are constantly getting overlooked. People just walk by them all day and nobody stops to talk to them.

How do you handle seeking out such hard and heavy stories?

Ya know, I am okay. You have to believe in something higher than yourself and know where your strength comes from. But don't showcase me, it's all about them and getting their stories out.

What is the demographic of what you traditionally see?

Mostly men ages 30-60. It is much harder for men to get resources than women so for them it is about survival and sticking together. In the past year, Doug has been able to travel to 12 states telling the stories of about 49 veterans. The project will not reach its completion until he has visited all 50 states and met veterans from each state. Following the conclusion of the project, Doug plans to potentially tell the stories of soldiers in harsh conditions internationally. The heart of this project is to share the idea that everyone has a story with factors behind it you may know nothing about. Reach out, start with hello and thank the one percent.

Written By: Carson Gunnigle, Customer Experience Intern at The Fellow Coworking

The Fellow Celebrates International Coworking Day

For Immediate Release August 1st, 2018

Manhattan, Kansas -  Today The Fellow Coworking announced a celebration of International Coworking Day on August 9, 2018. The Fellow will be celebrating by offering free coworking all day, and the public is invited to stop by for a tour, enjoy the festivities, and to enter a drawing for a month of free coworking. “The Fellow would like to thank the community for their support of our coworking space. We are thankful to be a part of Manhattan. On International Coworking Day, and everyday, we celebrate the spirit of collaboration and community that is the essence of what coworking is.” says Co-Founder and Community Manager Josh Hicks.

Members of the public can drop in to work for free on International Coworking Day at The Fellow Coworking by visiting www.membership.thefellowmhk.com, selecting Day Pass, under Memberships and using code “COWORK”. 

International Coworking Day is a day to celebrate coworking across the world. Coworking is much more than an office space where members gather to work. It is the collaborative sprit that develops when people are in proximity to each other every day. Coworking spaces are often inhabited by small companies, freelancers and remote workers who gather in an environment that is conducive to productivity and builds community.  

The Fellow is Manhattans’ premier shared office space that focuses on community, education and productive workspaces. The membership community is comprised of young and wise entrepreneurs, remote employees and non-profit directors motivated to get work done. “We’re comitted to providing resources that empower you to grow your business and to live an enjoyable work/life balance,” Hicks said.

For more information contact, email info@thefellowmhk.com

The Fellow Coworking wins 2018 Coworker Members’ Choice Award for coworking spaces

Manhattan, KS, (Monday 16 April 2018) — The Fellow Coworking today announced it has been recognized as winner of the 2018 Coworker Members’ Choice Award for Manhattan, Kansas. Members’ Choice award winners were determined based on the thousands of reviews, votes and opinions collected in a single year from coworking space members worldwide.

“The Fellow is our members. It’s not a building, a small business event promoter, or even just a desk to work from. It is an incredible community of hard working business owners, entrepreneurs, artists and remote employees who choose to work here everyday because they want to. I’m the smallest piece of the operation by having the opportunity to try to help them succeed and enjoy their work more. It’s really exciting seeing this project flourish in Manhattan,” community manager Josh Hicks said.

“Coworker is excited to announce the winners of the 2018 Members’ Choice Awards and celebrate the coworking spaces around the world that are making an impact in their community”, said Leanne Beesley, CEO of Coworker. “By putting a spotlight on coworking spaces that are providing a great environment and creating a community for their members, Coworker gives coworking spaces both large and small the ability to shine and attract new members.”

About The Fellow Coworking

The Fellow is a shared office space that exists for non-profits to operate out of, mobile business professionals to collaborate, remote employees to have a creative hub, artists and startups to have an affordable workspace. The Fellow boasts inspiring workspaces, welcoming communities, 24/7 access, small business resources, and modern amenities such as private mail, a conference room, unlimited coffee, event spaces, private parking and more.

About Coworker

Coworker, the member-powered platform for the global coworking community, enables people to find & connect with their perfect coworking space wherever they are in the world.