Why I Created Copake Connect

As published on imby September 28, 2026

For more than 30 years, my work has involved understanding what helps people and organizations work better together.  When Copake became home, I started looking at my own community through some of those same lenses.  And I noticed something...

There is an extraordinary amount of professional talent in our community. Executives, entrepreneurs, consultants and people working remotely for organizations far beyond our area live alongside small-business owners and other professionals building their livelihoods locally.

Yet many of us don’t know what the person down the road actually does.  This is at the heart of Copake Connect, a co-working space for the community.

WHAT IS CO-WORKING?

Co-working has taken a leap forward in our business world as technology has evolved. Individuals (often freelancers, remote workers, entrepreneurs, or small teams) share a common workspace, typically in a flexible, communal environment.

Remote and hybrid work have created new possibilities for rural communities like ours. But working remotely doesn’t always mean you want to work alone, or from the kitchen table.

While we have very high-level technology in our space, we also wanted to keep some local flavor.  For instance, our zoom rooms are named Bash Bish, High Falls, and Icehouse. And our conference room is named Ironworks.

We also worked with the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society and outfitted images throughout our space of the beautiful history of our area.

ACCESS FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY

When I opened this space, it was important to me that it be accessible to everyone in the community, full-time and part-time residents alike. So, membership is free unlike other coworking spaces. So you can pay for whatever time or room type you need without committing to a monthly fee. And our hourly rate?  Same price as a coffee at a coffee shop (and our coffee and snacks are free).

We went a step further.  We want full-time residents to have real access to a professional work environment. So anyone whose permanent residence is within 25 miles of Copake, gets an automatic 10% discount for all bookings.

But I never wanted it to be just about providing a workspace.  I wanted to create opportunities for people to meet, learn from one another and discover some of the informational and professional resources already around us.

Our Learning Lab series, for example, has offered practical sessions on technology, Excel, QuickBooks and other tech resources for people and businesses.

Our Margarita Mondays have evolved in another direction. The first grew out of a business-community focus group for Copake’s Comprehensive Plan. Today, they’re informal opportunities for local businesspeople to meet, learn what others are doing and make connections.

And some of those introductions have already turned into actual work for local businesses.

My involvement in Copake extends beyond Copake Connect. I chair the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee and serve on its Economic Development Advisory Committee.

Those experiences have only reinforced something I was beginning to see: we have tremendous resources in the people who are already here.

For me, supporting our community doesn’t mean trying to make Copake into somewhere else. It means finding ways to preserve what makes this place special while recognizing how the way we live and work is changing.