COMMUNITY
Who are our members?
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Our membership represents a diverse set of professions and skills. They share a strong work ethic, an innovative outlook, and a focus on community involvement.
Our members make CoLab a vibrant, exciting place to work and collaborate!
OR WRITE TO US:
CoLab provides space for your business to grow and succeed. Our 10,000 sq ft co-working space is nestled in the heart of Grandin Village, just 2 miles from downtown Roanoke. Ample parking is available throughout the day and night for free. Everything you need comes standard: 2 dedicated lines of high-speed internet (wireless and wired), well-lit work environment with movable furniture, private conference space and rentable private office space.
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From office space, hot desking, meeting clients, making connections, building workshops, entertaining, and more, our members use this space to vitalize their businesses and grow their already innovative minds. Our members get their creative juices flowing here, find ways to network, and stay in touch with other members of the community. CoLab sees a host of entrepreneurs, freelancers, small business owners, and people just looking to do cool things on the side (tutoring classes, neighborhood projects, and more). The membership base at CoLab loves Roanoke, loves working, collaborating, and sharing a common space with other people who want to do great things and grow Roanoke as a city and a community.
COLAB STAFF
BRAD STEPHENS
Director
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Brad Stephens is the Director of the CoLab. He has spent the past several years working with the social change and entrepreneurship community in Roanoke and helping build innovative community solutions. Along with being the founder of Big Lick SOUP, a co-founder of Noke Codes and helping put on CityWorks (X)po, he is always looking for new community development projects that can help improve the lives of the people that call this community home.
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Brad and his wife, Sarah, moved to the Roanoke Valley five years ago while he was working on his M.S. in Forestry at Virginia Tech with a focus on community collaborations in sustainable development. Ever since, this community has felt like home. They have grown to love the authenticity of this dynamic place.
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Brad is always interested in learning something new and having the difficult conversations that need to occur. When he is not at work or engaged with a community project, he can usually be found reading a book with one of their 2 cats.
ARIEL LEV
Advisor
Ariel Lev is the former Director of the CoLab and is now serving in an advisory capacity as they transition to new leadership. A North Carolina native, Ariel fell in love with the Blue Ridge mountains during her undergraduate studies at Appalachian State University, graduating with honors in Communications Broadcasting. Shortly after, Ariel was accepted to Georgetown University to continue her Communications studies, graduating in 2012 with a Masters of Arts in Communications, Culture and Technology.
In 2014, Ariel and her husband Sam (and their two rescue mutts) moved to Roanoke after spending time in Washington, DC and Floyd, VA. Ariel has been working for CitySpace LLC since she moved to Roanoke and has managed and worked on many different projects within the company, from helping to plan the CityWorks (X)po Conference to directing the CoLab.
Ariel is interested in Intellectual Property, social entrepreneurship, eating local and delicious foods, problem solving and making connections. Contact her for more information on the CoLab or just to talk about what's happening in this Valley we call home.
OUR SPONSORS
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PROGRAM PARTNERS
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