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Business & Tech

New Satellite Telework Center Open For Business

Scotts Valley location had ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday.

The Satellite Telework Center opened here Wednesday afternoon with a ceremonious ribbon-cutting sponsored by the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The new Scotts Valley center follows on the success of the original Felton center, which opened in the spring of 2009. The company was created by Barbara Sprenger, Ken Meshke and Jim Graham to provide space for start-ups, consultants, home-based business owners, Silicon Valley telecommuters—anyone who wants office space.

"[We are] offering office space in neighborhoods so people don't have to commute," said Graham, who is also the director of marketing. "Our primary clientele are Highway 17 commuters who may face isolation and distraction if they try to work at home."

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Property owners Harvey Glasser and Ow Properties have joined with the Satellite group to make the two-story building behind the Scotts Valley Market certified as a Green Business. The building has motion-sensory lighting that shuts off when not in use and carbon-dioxide reduction reporting.

Services include business-class broadband and Wi-Fi; security features such as 24-hour key card access, security cameras and lockable storage; business quality printing, scanning and faxing; bookkeeping and administrative services; and access to VoIP (Voice of Internet Protocol) phones and computers. Clients can choose to use private offices, workstations or casual café space in which to enjoy free coffee and camaraderie while they work.

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"It's great," said Ted George, a financial planner who used the center for a seminar, taking advantage of a promotion that included registration, an access card and 20 hours of use. "I like the people and the facility. It's easy to use." 

Sprenger said the business has received a positive response in the community, and one firm has contracted to rent the entire first floor. 

"The center will use technology tools to create a new village and work community," she said. "In this changing world, where people can work anywhere, so many people are struggling to find the right place to work. That's why we're here."

Negotiations are under way for another Satellite Center in Truckee to open in March 2011, and there is interest in franchising the centers.

Membership rates start as low as $79 a month and require a $100 registration fee. The walk-in rate is $6 an hour or $24 per day. Members can use the facility 24 hours a day using a unique key card, and space can be automatically reserved online at thesatelliteinc.com, or by calling 831-222-2100. 

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