Property development company Hearin Properties is partnering with International Workplace Group to bring a new flexible office and coworking hub to downtown Baton Rouge.

John Hearin, managing partner at Hearin Properties, announced a partnership with IWG’s Regus brand to open the space on Florida Street near North 5th Street. The hub will target entrepreneurs, consultants and growing businesses.

Hearin tells Daily Report the coworking space will occupy about 21,000 square feet across the building’s second, third and fourth floors. FedEx Office remains on the ground floor. Work is in progress to prepare the space with the goal of opening for business in mid-September.

“We are totally updating 525 Florida Street to bring our partner, Regus, in to have a coworking space, meeting rooms, offices and all the things you need when you want to sit down and have an office,” Hearin says.

Regus operates more than 4,000 locations worldwide, including offices, coworking spaces and meeting rooms in major cities and transit hubs, according to the company’s website. IWG plans to add 1,000 locations annually, aiming to eventually surpass 10,000 in the U.S.

The company’s rapid expansion has been driven partly by the rise of remote work since the pandemic. To meet demand, Regus began targeting various commercial real estate options to flexible workspaces.

“I did my homework to find the largest cowork company on the globe and from there I negotiated the partnership agreement with them,” Hearin says. “They’ve got three other locations in Baton Rouge and this one will be the fourth. They currently have a location downtown as well, and I’m told it’s over 90% leased.”

Regus also has locations at One American Place, Perkins Rowe and Westfork Business Center.

This story was originally published by Daily Report on Aug. 25. To keep up with Baton Rouge business news, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.