One of the best things about the Region of Waterloo is the pay it forward community vibe. References have been made to our “barn raising” tradition that has grown into our local culture of helping each other learn and grow.
In the time before COVID-19, a loosely affiliated group of people came together in the Catalsyt 137 building and formed a group called Ocean’s 137. There were only a few rules: don’t take it too seriously and don’t be a jerk. We had several meetings involving beer, pizza and good company prior to the pandemic. When COVID-19 hit, the group didn’t want to lose the momentum that had kicked off prior to the pandemic and decided to move things online. The Ocean’s 137 group has been meeting online, drinking alone (yet together) and talking about a range of topics. “Ocean’s 137 helps us stay connected during a time where many people are feeling isolated and disconnected. But, this is just the beginning. We have bigger plans to utilize Ocean’s 137 to build a cohesive community in the new work from anywhere Economy” says Ryan Burgio, CEO of Stryve Marketing.
Catalyst Commons, under construction right now, is Catalyst137’s latest large-scale office user. Scheduled to go live in Q4 of 2020, Catalyst Commons is a 60,000 square foot co-working space located in Kitchener. Catalyst Commons will be the largest co-working space in the Region and will come complete with a large courtyard and event space. When Catalyst Common’s opens and when it is safe to do so, Catalyst Commons will be the permanent home for Ocean’s 137 meetings. All will be welcome provided they follow the rules of not taking it too seriously and not being a jerk. The hope is that this will grow into a record community networking event that will encourage collision between talent, capital, vendors and customers, and that it will leave to the forging of career long relationships and further barn raising in the Region.
“Oceans 137 provides an exciting opportunity to collaborate with a diverse community of like-minded people, who are authentically supportive of one another. What I love most is the idea of bringing together a cross-section of talent and industries in one space, to explore common ground. It’s refreshing to get out of my normal headspace and flex my brain muscles on different challenges and new perspectives, the benefits come full-circle.”” said Navin Chand, New Moon Ideas Inc.
Feel free to sign-up for more information or to get on the invite list for our online sessions. We would love to have you participate!
- The Catalyst Common’s Team