Skip to content

Beta Collective co-founder hopes to make Surrey co-working space a ‘community hub’

Company celebrates its fifth anniversary and 4,000-sq.-ft. expansion
16592611_web1_190430-SNW-M-betaCollective-coworking-space
Jason Wong, one of the co-founders of Beta Collective, a co-working space. (Photo: Lauren Collins)

Jason Wong says he hopes Beta Collective, a co-working space located in downtown Surrey, will become a “hub for community impact.”

Beta Collective, located at 10318 Whalley Blvd., celebrated its fifth anniversary and a 4,000-sq.-ft. expansion in April, but when co-founder Wong began the business in 2014, he said he didn’t set out with that goal in mind.

READ ALSO: Beta Collective opens first co-working space in Surrey, July 15, 2014

“We have quite the gamut of different types of industries and sectors, but what I’m really stoked about is we’ve got about a dozen non-profits. Organically, they just kind of came out of the woodwork,” said Wong, adding that the organizations range from local non-profits to organizations that operate throughout the country.

“There was no extra work only part. I never reached out to them. I never cold called them or anything, they kind of just came to me and said, ‘Hey, you’re in this area, we’re looking for office space, can you support our team?’”

Wong said since the business relationship worked out with the first non-profit, he asked if there were more looking for space because he “would love to see this as sort of that community hub – a hub for community impact.”

“I wouldn’t care if you’re for-profit or non-profit, but if your business or what you do or some of your products and services helps to support locally… because I think resources are so sorely needed in this area,” he said.

“Those are the things I would like to do to carve my own little niche here to support that. I’m looking to not really shift gears, per say, but almost let agencies and social enterprises and non-profits know that if they are looking for space and they need something that’s central, local, good for their staff – rather than doing it off your kitchen table or anything like that – this could be an opportunity.”

For Youth Transforming Society, having a co-working space like Beta Collective has been a “very great opportunity,” says Gurleen Brar.

Brar is the chairperson of Youth Transforming Society, a non-profit that “aims to raise awareness for local and global issues and encourage volunteerism among young people. She said the group has been using Beta Collective’s space since 2015.

“It kind of alleviates the stress from us, as an organization. As non-profits, we don’t really have a lot of funding to go find a different space, but Jason was very welcoming and he allowed us to come and use the space,” Brar said.

When YTS began, Brar said, it was a smaller group, but it has now grown to 25 people.

“This allowed us to grow because we don’t have to worry about other issues. We know we have a permanent place whereas we’d be like, ‘Which coffee shop should we meet at?’”

Brar said that having Beta Collective has a home base gives YTS a “ground in Surrey.”

“We’re not looking to go out to different cities. We’re growing within our own communities over here,” she said.

However, for an organization like Rain City Housing, which has been around for 40 years and has housing and support projects throughout the Lower Mainland, being able to use a co-working space at Beta Collective allows the non-profit to put more money toward helping clients, said Jolanta Krysinski.

She said Rain City Housing has been using Beta Collective’s space for four years ago.

“Now more people are considering going this way instead of having a big office and spending more money for rent and not being really connected with other people. This is more (like) we co-operate with each other, we help each other,” said Krysinski, adding that there are some counsellors that work out of Beta Collective and Rain City Housing can use the counsellors to help support the non-profit’s clients.

For more information on Beta Collective, visit betacollective.ca.

READ ALSO: ‘My happy place’: Workspaces for women rise in #MeToo era, Jan. 29, 2019



lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Lauren on Twitter



Lauren Collins

About the Author: Lauren Collins

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media's national team, after my journalism career took me across B.C. since I was 19 years old.
Read more