Dugan Center to host
Grand Opening Open House on September 21st
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[September 16, 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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In the center of the area is a sofa and chairs with a large screen
television.
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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.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Sep/12/images/ads/current/graue_20ENVISION_090820.png)
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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.
![](../images/LONG%20TERM%20PHOTOS/092220%20DSCF1358_small.JPG)
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] |