Fuse: Ready & Waiting
As Benton County Moves to Phase 1.5, Fuse Prepares
Since March 2020, Fuse Accelerator in Richland, WA, has been closed to the public. Usually, a bustling two floors of innovation and productivity, we’ve been shuttered to help protect our community from the thread of COVID-19.
While I do still have personal misgivings about the haste with which our county is moving, given the statistics, I recognize that people need hope that the “new normal” is on its way. Since May, the team at Fuse has been Zooming and Slacking our way to a plan to reopen. Knowing the research and believing in my community, I think it can be done safely, and a return to masked productivity is upon us.
The Story So Far
On March 24th, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington announced the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order that required all non-essential businesses to close. As a “Professional Services” business, Fuse fits into the category of “non-essential.”
Thankfully, most members of the Fuse community can work from anywhere, so with rare exceptions (such as myself losing my job momentarily), most folks have been able to retain their income and keep working. Yet, day-by-day over conversations and messages, it became more and more apparent that the element of socialization, inspiration, and education that a coworking space provides was sorely missing from the lives of our members.
In May, while I was still on the lookout for my next job, I was approached by the Fuse leadership team to directly join the effort to prepare for reopening. In a proposal to the team on May 13th, I summarized my desired mission:
Fuse needs to assert its place as the nexus for 21st Century Skills in the community of Tri-Cities. To protect the life of our business and energize the professionals in our sphere of influence, Fuse must envision and execute a daring transformation. A renewed vision premised on building belonging at a distance, reigniting entrepreneurial spirit in a downturn, and pivoting our offerings to reach beyond the crisis to a new wave of coworkers.
Finding the New Normal
Despite the challenges, we set a two-pronged attack to prepare the physical space for reopening and try to migrate activities online.
To prepare the space, I was tasked with drafting a reopening plan. My work included analyzing the resources provided by Washington state on reopening a “Professional Services” company like Fuse, along with guidance from other organizations like the WHO.
Based on state sources, like the Washington Coronavirus Hazard Considerations for Employees materials and Phase 2 Professional Services COVID-10 Requirements, we believe universal compliance with safety guidelines will enable Fuse to be a “negligible to low transmission” environment. Safety can only be achieved with the cooperation of our community banding together to set aside the bizarre factionalism that has overtaken the narrative — especially around the perplexing politicizing of masks — and commit to a real recovery instead of dangerous denial.
Benton County by the Numbers
The move to Phase 1.5, starting over this last weekend and coming with it new requirements to stay in compliance, did come quite suddenly given that Washington had just paused all Phase 2 requirements, and as recently last week, Benton County had 3x the cases required for Phase 2.
I am sure local officials were balancing many factors, did so in concert with Governor Inslee’s visit last week, and I certainly see the impatience in those around my community. Not everyone has the privilege of lounging around in their pajama pants, tapping on a keyboard for a living like me. I see more and more people were facing down the grim choice between a 1% chance of death from COVID versus a 100% chance of rent in July.
It is an individual choice to return to Fuse’s coworking space. Not everyone can return; not everyone wants to return. We will do our best to protect our members and visitors, but the enemy is invisible. Ultimately, the vision of Fuse providing a hub for 21st-century skills does not hinge upon a building at all. If the situation presents itself, we may also close again in response to current conditions. Hence, the second pillar of the Fuse response to COVID-19.
Virtual Coworking
As the team coalesced a plan in May, the dynamic duo of Paloma and Kristin started organizing Lunch & Learn events over Zoom, adapting to the stay-home environment. We’ve had some social time as well, but the next big step is returning to our role of first-rate entrepreneurial education.
Our How to Pivot Your Business for a New Normal workshop event will be on Wednesday, July 15th at 4 PM, focusing on how to “Pivot” your business. This FREE workshop for the benefit of the Tri-Cities business community. Through examples of companies pivoting in the past and a framework of how to think about your own, we’ll explore what you could do to find new products, new customers, and new hope. It will include interactive workshop elements over Zoom — admittedly a first for me — but the same level of inspiration and energy the community has come to expect from the Launch program.
To learn more and register, visit the Pivot workshop Zoom registration page.
Later in July, we’ll be taking off with the original “Launch” education series…
Launch University: Ideation! Our 5-week course for turning big ideas into actionable plans. Designed to prepare first-time founders to present their ideas to co-founders, investors, and customers, it’s the 7th year we’ve offered startup education events in Tri-Cities, and I couldn’t be more excited. This time, we’ll be using Zoom to make sure our students, instructors, and pitch night audience stay home and stay healthy.
To Lean more, visit the Launch University: Ideation homepage.
Danger is Real; Fear is a Choice
The year 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride, and we’re only taking the latest loop the loop trying to reopen amidst uncertainty. I see excellent preparation from the team at Fuse, and I am lucky to work in a community that values the lives of others more than their livelihoods. I have new hope that in July, Fuse will make an impact with local entrepreneurs by spreading knowledge and inspiring confidence.
We’ve been waiting a long time, and as long as we work together, we can make sure we respond to the risks rather than live in fear — or worse, denial. Whether someone chooses to come to our building or not, they can still be part of our community, online or in-person. We won’t be having events any time soon at Fuse, but you’ll be glancing my face on Zoom or in the space under a mask before you know it. See you soon!
Erik Ralston is an innovator with 17 years of education and experience, having spent the last five years in leadership at the fastest growing tech company in Australia. Erik is also co-founder of Fuse Accelerator in the emerging community of Tri-Cities, WA, where he works on connecting people and sharing knowledge to turn new ideas into growing startups. You can find him on LinkedIn, Twitter, or the next Fuse event.
