Fastspot is growing

Fastspot’s offices could soon make the banks of the Jones Falls a stop on Baltimore’s tech events circuit.
The web design firm is set to expand its offices in Mill No. 1, a renovated former cotton mill that spans both sides of the Jones Falls between Hampden and Woodberry, said Fastspot President Tracey Halvorsen. Fastspot has been in its current space on the third floor of the Picker Building for about a year, and the company has already grown. Now, renovations are nearing completion on the floor below that will double Fastspot’s space.
“We’re essentially adding another 4,500 square feet,” Halvorsen said.
Fastspot is growing, but the space won’t only house workspace for designers. There will be space for designers and developers to collaborate during the day. And after work, Halvorsen hopes some of the new space will serve as a future home for tech events.
The company is leaving some of the space open for meetings for Fastspot team members, as well as meetups after work. The firm recently hired Sarah Jones, who organizes Refresh Baltimore. Halvorsen could see a future Refresh event at Fastspot’s offices, and also mentioned the possibility of hosting additional tech-community meetups.

In their work during the day, Fastspot is also looking at a new space with an expansion into the healthcare realm. The firm is already working with Loma Linda University Medical Center in Los Angeles to revamp its web presence, and is looking for more clients like them.
The firm has worked with colleges like Yale and Bucknell to create more interactive and inviting user experiences, and Halvorsen sees hospitals as another group of big institutions that are in need of a more welcoming web presence.
“Hospitals and healthcare systems are a perfect place online where it’s been left pretty cold and clinical,” she said. “I don’t think it needs to be that way.”