ecos work spaces group has new management

Dear Thomas, what does the perfect working day at ecos work spaces look like for you?

I like it when things get a little livelier than usual with larger events in our meeting and conference rooms.

And what do you personally appreciate most about the coworking space (advantages over a normal office)?

The variety, because you regularly meet people from other companies and completely different industries. This regularly creates a relaxed atmosphere in the workplace.

What is your biggest goal for ecos in the coming months, Thomas?

With the newly formed management team, I want us to initiate some necessary developments and thus give our locations the opportunity to continue to be successful. For our location in Münster, I would like to complete a few small construction projects by the end of the year and hope that I don't come up with too many new ideas for new projects...

Apart from the family connection, with your father founding and running the two ecos buildings for many years, what is your personal connection to the topic of coworking spaces?

We run our locations in Dortmund and Münster with relatively small teams. That's why the mixed composition of office users I mentioned earlier ensures that there's never a dull moment.

And what is your favourite place at ecos work spaces Münster?

I would love to use our beautiful conference room more often as an event participant, but opportunities to do so are few and far between. That's why I usually have to settle for playing host at our customer events...

If someone from the team were to wink at you and say something without mentioning your name, what would they say?

Most likely that on Friday afternoons, I'm the first to grab a beer from the fridge, thus ensuring a fitting start to the weekend...

Dear Michaela, what does the perfect working day at ecos work spaces Wiesbaden look like for you?

Arriving, seeing smiling faces at reception, getting coffee, having a nice chat with customers, a few pleasant conversations with prospective customers, lunch break on the roof terrace – with coffee, of course, welcoming new customers to the ecos family, brainstorming with colleagues, employees or customers on how we can make our services even more customer-friendly, supporting my employees and our customers in designing the perfect meeting or workshop, and then, after an eventful and varied day with lots of great people, going home satisfied at the end of the day.

How did you actually get into the coworking space business?

I first came into contact with ecos as a visitor to a former colleague. Right from the start, I was totally enthusiastic about the sustainability of the concept and the community spirit. This led me to end up working at ecos, where I have held many positions – office manager, centre manager and now managing director.

What do you personally appreciate most about coworking spaces (advantages over a normal office)? 

Meeting new and exciting people all the time and having the perfect infrastructure, both in terms of space and technology, for all work situations.

And where is your favourite place at ecos Wiesbaden?

It's actually difficult for me to choose at ecos Wiesbaden... Of course, I love the roof terraces with a cup of coffee in my hand, but the view from my office of villas surrounded by green gardens is also fantastically beautiful and has helped me overcome a lot of mental blocks...

What is your biggest goal for ecos in the coming months?

To make the ecos brand better known and strengthen employer branding.

What are your strengths, Michaela?

I believe that I am very empathetic and have a good sense of the needs of the people I am dealing with... I also let my girls convince me that a company outing with roller coaster rides is the perfect team-building event, even though I get scared and anxious on a swing boat ?. Others like to say that I am a fair but also relentless negotiator.

Would you like to tell us a little bit more about yourself?

I have been in a relationship with a childhood friend for 10 years and am the mother of two wonderful children, aged 21 and 17. In my free time, I love to travel, which is not so easy to do at the moment because we adopted a rescue dog eight months ago. Instead of visiting foreign cities and countries, I am currently exploring the local fields and forests and discovering that I don't mind hiking so much after all and that the Taunus region where I live has some really beautiful spots. I like it when the house is full of visitors and we spend convivial hours with friends and family. And when it's quiet, I like to spend my time reading crime novels and thrillers, and I'm happy when I solve the case a little bit faster than the investigators. 

Dear Oliver, what does the perfect working day look like for you at the ecos work spaces in Hanover North and Hamburg Colonnaden?

It's a mix of employee and customer meetings, peppered with a bit of project work and accompanied by daily business.

And what do you personally appreciate most about the coworking space (advantages over a normal office)?

For years, everyone has been booking all-inclusive holidays or renting a car for a day or an e-scooter for 15 minutes as needed, so why not use flexible workspaces too? I always say pay per use. Completely flexible and with transparent costs.

Oliver, what are your biggest goals for ecos in the coming months?

To further establish ecos as a brand. To achieve greater visibility and reach. Preferably in a measurable way, of course. In addition, maintaining and expanding our locations and providing support for company succession, which may be imminent for some. Creating a blueprint for interested operators to standardise onboarding into the ecos group and thus make it more attractive. And last but not least, setting up a central telecommunications system to enable the centralisation of telephone services.

Oliver, how would you briefly describe yourself?

‘May I introduce myself? My name is Finger, Goldfinger.’ The nickname sticks with me because the charisma of this finger is usually enough to eliminate problems entirely. ? Then I also believe that I am quite good at ‘mixing’ and analysing data. Whether in Excel or Power BI. An enjoyment of technology and a hands-on mentality certainly round off my profile.

Then you're the perfect fit as CTO of the ecos Group. Oliver, what brought you to the ecos group and what do you love most about this business?

Anyone who is friends with one of the founders of ecos and has known him for almost 50 years has also been familiar with the stories, challenges and successes of this concept for 30 years. This ultimately resulted in the successful company succession in Hanover North five years ago, and this year I also took over the Hamburg-Colonnaden location. Even though, as an IT specialist, I like the latest innovations, I am always fascinated by the fact that you can combine a building with old architecture with such a modern working environment as we offer in the ecos work spaces. That's why the locations in Oldenburg, Bremen Parkallee and Hamburg Colonnaden are the ones that appeal to me the most. But above all, I like the fact that as an operator, you are EVERYTHING. I actually intended to list the jobs I regularly do here, but while preparing for the interview, after the 11th (and there would have been more), I decided not to list them after all. No two days are the same, and you have to face daily challenges. But that's exactly what makes working in a space so attractive. The variety.