Assemblymember Monning Names NextSpace of Santa Cruz “Small Business of the Year”

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Sacramento, CA - May 19, 2010 - Assemblymember Monning (D-Carmel) has selected NextSpace of Santa Cruz, California, to be honored at the California Small Business Day luncheon on May 25^th at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Assemblymember Monning will also announce the award at 6:15 pm on Friday, May 21 at NextSpace in Santa Cruz, during the weekly Member Happy Hour gathering.    “I selected NextSpace as the 27^th Assembly District’s Small Business of the Year because it is an innovative model being watched closely by other communities who want to galvanize the talents of freelancers and entrepreneurs,” stated Assemblymember Monning. “I had the opportunity to tour NextSpace and their business model removes the isolation most telecommuters experience, creating a gathering place for local talent to interact.”   Next Space, located in downtown Santa Cruz, was founded by Jeremy Neuner, Caleb Baskin and Ryan Coonerty and provides physical and virtual infrastructure for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative class professionals.  The company sells memberships to people who can use a variety of offices and equipment, as well as a café and lounge area for business activities.   Founded in October 2008, at the height of the economic meltdown, NextSpace has attracted over 375 members, with a roster of almost 200 current members. Members come from a wide variety of industries, including software, design, engineering, manufacturing, marketing & public relations, information technology, clean technology, web & mobile applications, legal, accounting and more. One NextSpace member is designing bass sound samples for a London-based audio effects company, another is designing graphics for skateboards and sports gear while others are collaborating on geo-location application design.   The unique working environment that NextSpace provides inspires collaboration and innovation among users and has sparked the growth of the knowledge economy in Santa Cruz by linking it with similar businesses around the globe.   “We are proud to be recognized by Assemblymember Monning. The fact that a small, start-up company like NextSpace has been selected shows that the coworking movement—and the broader freelance economy—is gaining legitimacy and garnering the attention it deserves as a cornerstone of the new economy,” said Jeremy Neuner, NextSpace CEO.   Each year the leadership of the California State Legislature recognizes the contributions that small businesses makes to California by sponsoring “California Small Business Day” in the Capitol. May is also National Small Business month.   Assemblymember Monning was elected to represent the 27^th Assembly District in 2008. The 27^th Assembly District includes the cities of Capitola, Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz County; as well as the cities of Carmel, Marina, Monterey, and Seaside in Monterey County; and the city of Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County. Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assemblymember Monning was a professor at the Monterey College of Law and a Professor of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.   About NextSpace Coworking + Innovation Inc. NextSpace is the workplace for the new economy.  NextSpace provides innovative physical and virtual infrastructure that freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative class professionals need to succeed in the 21st century knowledge economy. In an increasingly disconnected world, NextSpace creates a collaborative community that is revolutionizing the nature of work with locations in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California and at www.nextspace.us.   NS6865