For all its grandeur and easy access, Summit County has attracted quite a few remote workers, some of whom are demanding more services from local coworking spaces.

At EVO3 Workspace in Frisco, owner Aaron Landau said the 6-year-old business struggled when pandemic restrictions were put in place, but once the company announced its requirement that all members and visitors have to be vaccinated, operations have exponentially increased.

“That number that we do in a year of day passes, so that would be someone just popping in and working Monday through Friday regular business hours, that number that we normally do in a year we’re doing in a month,” Landau said. “We’re seeing more than tenfold increase in day passes, and we’re also seeing people that are staying longer.”

This is a trend that Jason Smith predicted months ago, and to get on top of it, he recently opened The Mountain Space, a new coworking space in Dillon that is open to remote workers. Smith, who’s been a serial entrepreneur in the county since 2001, said he noticed that there wasn’t an abundance of commercial real estate in the county and decided to open up a space that allowed workers to come and go as they please.

He said the idea of surrounding himself with other go-getters was appealing, as well.

“What stood out to me mostly was that there was going to be a need for this, but also I just accidentally became an entrepreneur and the prospect of getting to spend my time with other people who are self-motivated and want to run their own businesses is very appealing to me,” Smith said.

Smith bought the 4,800-square-foot building in Dillon in March and completed some minor renovations before officially opening the space in late June.

The business offers four memberships and passes for workers to choose from, and all vary in how many services and perks are included.

For example, a daily pass costs $35 and is a one-time use between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. A Hot Desk membership costs $300 per month and includes a direct Ethernet connection, monthly conference room hours and 24/7 access to the building. A Dedicated Desk membership costs $450 per month and includes all of these amenities plus a set desk with a lockable file cabinet. The highest level of membership is a Private Office membership, which costs $800 to $1,200 depending on the size of the office, all of which include mountain views.

All memberships and passes include high-speed internet as well as other amenities such as an outdoor patio, a community printer, evening workshops and a kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave and complimentary coffee. All memberships but the daily pass have access to two conference rooms located in the basement, which has access to a second entrance that Smith said can be used in the event of private parties or retreats.

Keeping his demographic in mind, and considering the facility’s close access to the Summit County recpath, Smith even said there’s a shower located in the basement in the event that members need to clean up before a meeting.

The Mountain Space has capacity for 60 members and users, though this could increase in the future. There are currently five private offices and many desks throughout the space. There’s also room in the basement that could be renovated into additional office or desk space, if needed. Eventually, Smith plans to install ski lockers for members, too.

When executing his vision for the collaborative, flexible hub, Smith said he wanted The Mountain Space to have all of the high-tech features that a big-city coworking space might have. Some of these features include an app that’s used by members to get into the building outside of normal business hours and plenty of Ethernet ports to access broadband internet. There are 16 cameras installed throughout the facility for security, and Smith said he has the ability to lock the building remotely in the event of an emergency.

The fact that so many details are taken care of within a coworking space is one of the appeals of working in an environment like this, Smith says.

“Not every small business or every individual can afford to rent an office and pay all that overhead where you’re paying your own utilities, you’re paying for your internet, you’re paying for your coffee, you’re paying to have it cleaned, whereas you can come in here and get an office and you’re done,” Smith said. “You just walk in and work.”

While Smith is optimistic about the prospect of catering to this remote-worker clientele, owner of Summit Shared Space in Silverthorne John Madron said he’s seeing a trend of more people shifting away from remote work.

“A lot of the folks I’ve had there for the last year are going back to their offices like this month,” Madron said. “… I’m actually seeing that a lot of folks are actually returning to work or back on the road for travel.”

Madron said since the pandemic, he’s removed his daily pass option and is only currently allowing monthly users.

Smith said he isn’t as concerned about this trend, partly because of his proximity to other amenities. The Mountain Space is located just a few blocks from the Dillon Amphitheater and new developments like Uptown 240, the Dillon Health Center and Hilton Homewood Suites.

The Mountain Space is located at 346 Lake Dillon Drive in Dillon. The facility is open 24/7 to members and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for daily pass users. Individuals can purchase a pass or a membership online at TheMountainSpace.com. For more information, call 970-485-6088 or email info@themountainspace.com.