The Mill’s expansion plans will give members more privacy

“Our members should be the first to know, not the last.”
That’s part of how The Mill cofounder Robert Herrera opened up his short presentation on the future of his Wilmington coworking space.
Herrera started the evening of “Brews, Bites and Big Plans” with a small group of The Mill’s members in one of the office’s glass-windowed war rooms. He showed us the updated blueprints and explained the rollout of phase two and phase three of construction.
Before taking us on a tour of the space, Herrera explained that he and his team have heard lots of members say that they feel in the dark about The Mill. They’ll hear scraps of news about their coworking space here and there, but there’s not enough transparency in place. Herrera offered a solution.
First, the event we attended last night to bring you this story will become a monthly thing. Second, The Mill will offer up a cohesive and public-facing newsletter. Herrera hopes those things work to mitigate what members sense as obscurity when it comes to the happenings of The Mill.
As for the current progress of the part of the coworking space that’s draped in plastic and covered in dust? If The Mill is currently shaped like an L, phase two will turn it into a U. That construction will be done within the next three weeks, Herrera told us. The space they’re building is mostly finished and rented out, too.

Currently, the open part of The Mill is all glass and open spaces. Phase two is quieter and closed off. Herrera explained that one bit of feedback he often hears is that, as nice as the all-glass conference rooms are, some companies want a little privacy for their meetings. They’ll get that with phase two.
They’ll also get a room that’s meant for video and audio podcasting. Herrera cited that as another request from members as he pulled us into the relatively soundproof room. It’s entirely closed off and quiet, a stark contrast from the rest of the space in The Mill. Herrera explained that the room will even have a pull down green screen in place for future video production, available to members as long as they reserve.
Then he brought us to phase three. If phase two makes The Mill a U, phase three turns it into a rectangle. We’re a ways out, but Herrera specifically noted September 2017 for the completion of phase three of The Mill, thus wrapping up all construction.
Much like phase two, phase three features more in the way of member privacy. Members told the staff of The Mill that making private phone calls can be tough at times. So, they’re adding soundproof rooms for that purpose. They’ll even feature phones with Skype and Facetime for members.
Both construction updates sound like they are entirely member-focused. At every turn during the tour, Herrera offered that a specific feature was requested or lacking from the previous build. That drive to please members is evident in the construction, the addition of small perks like an eventual bike rack for commuters and the decision to launch monthly meetings and newsletters.
Robert Herrera made one thing clear last night: The Mill is listening to its members.