As new terminal nears, Cowork KCI sells amid 87-acre development along airport corridor

Cowork KCI might have new owners, but the coworking veterans behind the Northland venture aren’t stepping too far away from the gate, they said.

The 8,000-square-foot flex office space at 12200 N Ambassador Drive — less than a five-minute drive from Kansas City International Airport — has sold to the Ambassador Building. Robert L. Curland and Terri S. Turner, owners of EnCorps Partners, announced the transfer of ownership this week. Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.

Envisioned as a unique take on the coworking trend — targeting visitors and frequent travelers in the fastest growing county in Missouri — the space opened in March 2020 in anticipation of the economic development spurred by the new KCI terminal project before and during its March 2023 completion date.

“We intentionally put people together who can help each other grow and this really supports their business,” Turner told Startland News upon the space’s opening. “Flexworking embodies the office of the future.”

When the pandemic struck just as Cowork KCI arrived on the scene, the space maintained a better-than 50-percent occupancy, Curland and Turner emphasized.

“While many in the flex space industry lost entrepreneurs and other tenants, we were fortunate that we had essential company members and did not see member attrition,” Turner said. “Conference and meeting room rentals did slow during the early months of the pandemic, but we are seeing a steady increase in requests for day offices and meeting rooms.”

Cowork KCI upgraded its technology mid-pandemic to include state-of-the-art virtual meeting capabilities and added a member’s meeting lounge to accommodate hybrid meetings for its members, she added.

The sale and its timing are the right flight plan for EnCorps Partners, a Kansas City marketing and management company, Turner continued.

“Among the various small business growth consulting projects EnCorps Partners engages in, coworking and flex space management is our passion,” she said. “As an Encorps Partners property, Cowork KCI was our baby and selling our baby was difficult. But it just made sense.”

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“As we continue to upgrade the building, develop the surrounding 87-acres and invest the development of the KCI corridor, we believe that offering both traditional and flex space lease options allows us to meet the changing needs of the office rental market.”

— Richard Chaves, Jr., Dallas-based asset manager, The Ambassador Building

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The Ambassador Building is owned by the Chaves family, which includes Dallas-based asset manager Richard Chaves, Jr., his father, two aunts and three Los-Angeles-based cousins.

“The Chaves family is dedicated to growth in the KCI corridor,” Turner said. “They are developing more than 80 acres surrounding the Ambassador Building including hotels, restaurants and airport parking. As a forward-thinking development company, adding a flex space option to their suite of services was good for them and good for business owners. We are confident they will continue with our vision to offer small businesses the services they need to grow, including affordable Class A office space.”

Curland and Turner plan to serve as advisors during and after the transfer of ownership.

“EnCorps Partners will continue to consult with the Chaves family and Aristocrat Realty on managing and growing Cowork KCI,” Turner said. “In addition, we will continue to serve our clients.

Curland is expected to focus on community growth through innovative use of commercial real estate, whileTurner prioritizes small business and leadership growth through marketing, management consulting and training.

Click here to learn more about Cowork KCI office space, day rentals or meeting bookings.

This fall, Turner is set to chair the new Small Business Committee of the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce (NRCC) as it launches the Northland Small Business Alliance made up of the NRCC, EnCorps Partners, Platte County EDC, Clay County EDC and Central Bank.

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This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

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