Why suburban IT firm Weidenhammer set up a Philly office at WeWork

The jig is up on why suburban IT company Weidenhammer hosted that happy hour over the summer: the 200-employee firm just set up a beachhead in Center City.

With four full-timers out of a private office at WeWork’s 1601 Market spot, the Reading, Pa.-based company hopes to increase its Philly-proper footprint to 20 staffers over the next two years. Formerly, the multi-service firm worked with Philly clients via its Wayne, Pa., office.

“Rather than put our people through commuting, we thought I’d be easier to be here and take Uber or public transit to visit clients,” said CEO John Weidenhammer. “It also saves employees ‘windshield time‘ and helps them be more productive.”

The company also set up a gateway office in Center City for the same reason most suburban camps do: having access to the urban core’s pool of technical talent.

“That should benefit our business as we try to grow,” Weidenhammer said. “Our sales are up 14 percent year-over-year but we think that we can grow more by adding more staff with critical skills.”

(In February, the Department of Commerce set up a stimulus plan for suburban companies to set up Philly offices called Gateway Philly in pilot mode. Weidenhammer didn’t qualify for this program as it didn’t meet the minimum threshold of 20 staffers. That’s one of the pain points already identified by Commerce about the program which, six months later, hasn’t secured its first beneficiary.)

We have some great news. We expanded our physical presence into #Philadelphia. We have moved into office space at 1601 #MarketStreet. We are ready to be a bigger part of the #PhillyTech and #PhillyCreative scene! Read more here:https://t.co/OVrTgSQNsR pic.twitter.com/vnfjW9ohXX

— WeidenhammerIT (@WeidenhammerIT) October 4, 2017

The CEO called the coworking spot a “high-profile location” due to its proximity to City Hall and amenities. The community aspect of sharing space with other companies intrigues the executive, but the biggest advantage he sees is the flexibility to grow space as needed.