Dugan Center to host Grand Opening Open House on September 21st

[September 14, 2020]  

The community is invited to attend a Grand Opening Open House at the Dugan Center on September 21st from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please observe Covid protocols with faces masks and social distancing.

The center will be recognized by some as the former Little Lambs Daycare Center, located at 1500 North McLean Street in Lincoln.

The building was purchased in 2019 by Troy and Jantina Lowe. It is named after sensei Dan Dugan, who teaches Yoshukai Karate and has been a great inspiration and instructor for Troy. Dugan’s dojo, The Yoshukai Karate Alliance is located at the center.

For the Lowe’s the purchase of the building in 2019 was the first step of a dream they have to bring a really great event venue to the community, and also to start a cowork space for those who work from home or on the road and need a space that provides a quiet, comfortable workspace at an affordable rate.

The couple began offering the event space in 2019 and also started working on a remodel of other areas of the building, laying out individual business suites that can be built to suit the need of the client, and creating a great co-working space.

The two were marketing the event area and had a few bookings when our country became paralyzed by the coronavirus. Bookings were cancelled according to state and federal guidelines for avoiding large gatherings.

Since that time, there have been no additional bookings, also due to the reduction of events and the limitations on the number of people who can gather in one place.

But, that hasn’t stopped the couple from being optimistic about the future of the Dugan Center.

They continued to move forward with the remodel of the cowork space, establishing private conference rooms, and designing proposed layouts for business suites.

Troy explained that providing a cowork space could perhaps be more important now than ever before. He said that many will know that with the onset of Covid-19 and its continuation over the past several months, many businesses have closed their offices or reduced the number of staff working in company provided space.

Those companies have worked with their employees to do remote offices, where employees can work from home. The change offers many benefits for the businesses. In addition to being able to spread out their staff within an office, they are also able to reduce their overhead costs by reduction of utilities and in some cases, closing offices thereby eliminating space costs and making it possible for those companies to trim their costs and maintain reasonable bottom lines.

While the work from home scenario can be good for the employees, there are also some drawbacks.

Working from home means setting aside workspace and attempting to create a schedule that provides distraction-free hours for work. At home that isn’t all that easy sometimes. Unless a person lives alone, there are going to be distractions, especially if a spouse is also working from home, and the kids are not in school.

For some that adds to the stress level and decreases their productiveness.

For those who may be alone day in and day out, that isn’t always healthy either. Troy said that studies have been done about the impact isolation has on individuals. Some people can handle it, but for some it can lead to depression.

Also, some need structure in order to be productive. That structure is what they have when they wake daily, get ready and go to work. They spend their day performing their duties then go home at the end of the day. Without that structure, they are not productive.

Then there is the situation of the home being the home and not the workplace. While some may have a home office, many do not. Thus, the dining room table, the kitchen counter or the living room sofa become the ‘office.’ For families that doesn’t work out so well.

And finally, the overhead costs saved by the employer are being absorbed by the employee. When the house is empty during the day, lights are turned out, thermostats are reset and energy costs are reduced. With at home offices and remote working those costs are going to go up. Those utility burdens are now the burden of the employee.

The Lowe’s believe that providing a cowork space in Lincoln will be a great benefit to a number of people. They are offering the space with two options. Guests can rent the use of a working space on a month to month basis with no contract or long term obligations. Guests can also rent a designated space that is exclusively their space within the cowork area on a term basis.

The area the pair is offering is a large space with outside access. Those who rent the space will be given an app for their phone that will unlock the door for them.

Inside, there are tables with built-in connectivity including outlets for laptops and USB connections and Wi-Fi. The room offers a streamline kitchen/break area with a sink, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker. Troy noted that the coffee station offers coffees provided by Ethan Hoinacki at the Guest House in Lincoln.

In the center of the area is a sofa and chairs with a large screen television.

From this area, there is access to two conference rooms. The rooms are equipped with a conference table that also offers connectivity stations mounted in the tables, a monitor mounted on the wall for PowerPoint presentations, and comfortable seating. One of the conference rooms can accommodate 16 people while the second room is smaller, but set up the same and will seat 10 people.

The large conference or event area has its own entrance and will accommodate more than 275 people in a meeting setting with rows of chairs. In a dinner or reception setting with tables and chairs the room can accommodate close to 200 people.

There is also a prep area for caterers just off the main room. That area is still in the works as a commercial kitchen, but at the moment is not set up for cooking.

In addition to the great indoor space, the property also offers approximately eight acres of greenspace. The space can be utilized for family gatherings, outdoor weddings or events, birthday parties and more.

And, finally, for those who are working toward opening their own brick and mortar but not quite there yet, or those who need a structured space for multiple staff members, the Dugan Center will offer built to specification business suites.

The Lowes have a few suggested floor plans for the business suites, but stress that they can be set up to accommodate the needs of the clients. These are spaces that would be great for marketing offices, or for those who need to have inventory for their business and not enough space at home for that inventory. Again, providing a space that allows for structure can increase productivity regardless of whether it is one person selling product or a team of people offering a service.

Also to help accommodate these business suites, the Lowes have installed a bank of mail boxes outside, so businesses utilizing the spaces can have an official address and may receive daily mail delivery.

While the coronavirus has certainly hindered progress in developing the Dugan Center, the Lowe’s are still very optimistic about the future of the center.

They feel they are offering something that is needed in the community, especially with the cowork space.

Cowork has been popular in the larger cities for several years, but in smaller communities such as this, the offering of cowork space has not been widely utilized. The Lowe’s feel that those who have a need for such a space will find what they offer to be very accommodating.

The couple is very excited to open the Dugan Center on the 21st and show the community all the great space that is available. Be sure to stop in and say hello to the couple and check out all they have done to make the Dugan Center a great work and event space.

[Nila Smith]