Around the world, companies of all sizes find space to succeed at WeWork. Our case studies share their unique stories.
The Challenge: How to build a diverse, talented, and enthusiastic cross-country team without the traditional overhead costs
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Telegraph was born on the heels of the pandemic, when most people had gotten used to working from home. “For a long time, there wasn’t an in-person option for any kind of meeting, internal or external,” noted Harris Ligon, Co-founder and CEO of Telegraph. Harris and his co-founders were passionate about two things from the onset: modernizing the experience of working with freight rail, and building the right team to do so. They also needed to find the right balance of office space to fit the evolving expectations of employees.
As a railroad tech company, a primary office space in Chicago was a natural fit. Recognized as an epicenter of the freight rail industry, it was the perfect place for Telegraph’s headquarters. It also happened to be where Harris, his co-founders, and their personal networks were located. “We always knew that we would need to hang a shingle somewhere. I think people just naturally want to know that they’ve got a place where they can congregate,” said Harris.
With Chicago solidified as their homebase, it made sense to also look at securing office space in other locales, given the location of their customers, nature of their product, and their cross-country team. “If we are located in all these different places, it would be nice to have both a physical space, and a consistent experience where we can collaborate in-person with the team, or host customers,” Harris noted.
The Solution: A primary headquarters in Chicago and coworking access to WeWork locations across the U.S.
After exploring a number of different options across Chicago, Telegraph settled on a WeWork private office with eight desks. The location allowed them to scale incrementally with the help of WeWork’s leasing team. Fast-forward three years, and they now occupy a permanent two-room office with a dedicated conference space, and incredible views of Lake Michigan. The local team convenes here weekly, and visiting employees freely make use of open desks. With WeWork’s help, they have been able to use the Chicago space for company-wide meetings and large team events. “Every time we have a very specific space need, WeWork is ready and able to help us figure it out,” Harris explained.
The Telegraph team has also taken full advantage of their access to WeWork’s network of national locations. The team visited at least a dozen different locations in the past 12 months. “Of all the locations outside of Chicago, Clearfork is probably my favorite because it overlooks Union Pacific’s Davidson railyard. Being able to book a professional conference room for an important conversation is always a consistently easy experience,” Harris said. “I’ve yet to bring a customer to any WeWork location where they haven’t looked around and told me how nice it was.”
Results: More locations, more customers, more time to focus on people and product
Without the need to worry about complicated lease terms, or where to host customers, Harris and his team have been able to place their focus on research and relationships. “We don’t have to think about planning a meetup or organizing people; if we are in a city that has a WeWork, it’s the default,” he explained. “There’s so much mental load that we don’t really even have to consider.”
The weekly in-office gatherings have also proven instrumental in driving innovation with their hybrid workforce. “We have a few solid days every week that make it easy to collaborate on expanding our products and services because we are together, bouncing ideas off of one another, and getting excited about the projects that are being worked on,” Harris noted.
With WeWork as a partner, Telegraph has been able to successfully expand their footprint as their team grows, allowing them to focus on their work to modernize freight rail technology, and cultivate customer relationships across the country. “For what we have invested in our relationship with WeWork, we continue to see the value in working with you.” Harris said. “We are excited to bring even more team members into the fold, and explore other WeWork offices.”
Key Highlights
- Potential to scale across new markets as opportunities appear
- Slowly expanding primary WeWork office over time, at their own pace
- Ability to use WeWork spaces across the U.S. during frequent travel
- Direct relationship with WeWork leasing team manager to facilitate growth and provide onsite operational support
