Take a step inside the Industrious network in Nashville

Tennessee whiskey, Gibson guitars, and stacks of records from the best country artists. That’s what lines the Industrious offices in Nashville. 

It’s a reflection of what makes Nashville, Nashville. The bustling city lined with honkey tonks and live music has drawn in people from across the country to see what it’s all about. In fact, the Nashville area grew by 86 people a day in 2023, according to the census. It’s consistently topped Tennessee’s list of fastest-gaining cities. Nashville experienced 16% population growth over the past decade. That’s compared to an average of 6% for the rest of the country.

For both people who only visit the city as tourists or call Nashville their forever home, they need a way to stay connected. Industrious serves both. With several locations across the 497-square-mile city, Industrious members have access to the amenities that help them get their jobs done. 

But that didn’t happen overnight. Industrious has paid close attention to the growing city, uniquely positioning ourselves to be a part of the robust growth to provide coworkers with what they need to thrive professionally in Music City. 

The beginning

The first Industrious that opened in Nashville was in the Gulch in 2016. Located at 1033 Demonbreun Street, our offices added to what was (at the time) an up-and-coming live, work, play neighborhood. Today, the area continues to shine as one of Nashville’s trendiest areas. What we bring to the table is the best-in-class coworking, private offices, and on-demand meeting space to support everyone from solopreneurs to large teams in the business community. 

This building, in particular, features a private lounge and amenity area, secure bike storage, and an outdoor terrace. It’s situated close to Music Row and Downtown Nashville, with bus stops and BCycle stations nearby. Today, it continues to be one of the most successful Industrious locations in the local market.

When we saw how the office filled up, we continued to expand. A short two years later, we introduced our Downtown Nashville location at 414 Union Street on the 19th floor of Philips Plaza. The area is part of a more traditional business district, located closer to landmarks like the Capitol, and saw success in its own ways. 

A growth spurt

Things really started to change in Nashville coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the workforce shifted around the country, with professionals moving out of larger cities to smaller ones, Nashville saw rapid growth. The dips that happened during the height of the pandemic rebounded exceptionally fast. Both of our locations shot back up to being full pretty quickly. That demand hasn’t slowed today. 

That’s when we looked for a third location. Enter Industrious Germantown. 

The Industrious team, in particular the general manager of the Nashville market, David Poland, worked with developers taking on a huge project: restoring a historic 1800s district that goes by Neuhoff. Industrious pursued a 26,000-square-foot lease to take over a portion of the second floor of Neuhoff’s adaptive reuse office building. That building, vacant for decades, is over 100 years old and sits on the Cumberland River. The project was a significant one for the city, expanding Germantown into new areas that hadn’t yet been touched. Industrious is happy to be one small piece of the puzzle. 

We opened phase one of Industrious Germantown in November, which included offices and a cafe. Being a part of an adaptive reuse project meant additional hurdles, requiring the phased opening. But it was one that we feel will be worth it. The second phase includes a podcast studio, views of the river, an outdoor patio and additional features and amenities. 

And a fourth location is underway, too. Later this year, Nashville Yards is opening. We established a 30,000-square-foot spot on the 14th floor within the upcoming Pinnacle Tower. The Nashville Yards project at large is a 19-acre development with office, retail, entertainment, hospitality and residential towers. The development provides additional amenities to Industrious members, like over seven acres of open green space for taking a work break or hosting outdoor events. Its roster of tenants also adds allure to the location, including high-end dining, luxury hotels like the Grand Hyatt Nashville, and entertainment venues such as the Pinnacle Concert Hall. 

Bringing the Industrious touch

The developments in both Nashville Yards and the Neuhoff District are dominating real estate news in the area. They are marquee developments that are expanding the city in real ways. Being a part of both means that we are allowing more Nashville residents to call these locations home. A person can say “I work in the tower with the Pinnacle Bank logo on the top.” You can be an individual and have the same address while working out of Industrious. 

And we know that the people who work out of our locations are who create the culture within them. Poland has found that the Nashville market represents who they are. Members decorate their offices reflecting what the city is all about. We have consistently leaned into that, celebrating the identity and culture of this market, even through additional growth in recent years. Our common areas are bustling as if they are honkey tonks on Broadway. There is a real sense of community that shines through, which is what Industrious sets out to boost.

Nashville frequently hosts companies that are in town for conventions, offsites, and other professional development opportunities. As an Industrious member anywhere, you get access everywhere. We’ve found that workers visiting Nashville for these reasons also take advantage of Industrious while they are there. 

With a younger demographic that continues to grow thanks to popular universities like Tennesee State and Belmont, graduating seniors are staying to kickstart their careers. These individuals are interested in and excited about coworking and flexible offices.

Nashville keeps growing, and we want to be there for it. 

What’s next?

Will Nashville see more than four Industrious locations one day? We can’t put the horse before the carriage yet. We are excited to see Industrious Germantown and Industrious Nashville Yards thrive in the coming year as they open their doors to new folks. But we continue to keep our eye on the growing city, including other submarkets like Franklin, seeing where we might be a welcome addition. 

But what we do know, and what we have seen as successful, is that when we combine our amenity offers with a larger development, it’s a win-win. Our members get the best of what we have to offer while being a part of something big and new that has its own allure as well. Poland, who is also the general manager of the Carolinas market, believes that other fast-growing cities like Charlotte or Raleigh will replicate that. 

At the same time, Industrious is experiencing its own changes, as it was recently acquired by CBRE. CBRE is among the largest commercial real estate firms in Nashville. In 2023, the company saw $734.7 million in sales and $437.13 million in lease volume. It is also the third-largest property management firm, with nearly 14 million square feet under its supervision.

We believe this news will help fill our two new locations in Nashville and beyond. With its coworking spaces now in CBRE’s portfolio, we expect a boost in leasing activity, which is what we saw when CBRE bought the first chunk of us in 2021.

Here’s to continued growth.

For more information on our Nashville locations, visit here.