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The Factory Reunion

By The Factory

We invited as many former and current members of The Factory for a fun afternoon & evening full of laughs, food, and memories.

On a sunny day in April 2023, we held our first Factory Reunion! With food and laughs, we celebrated our community and its members, the journeys, and our new space. It was a great afternoon seeing old friends and connecting with new members. Here are a few photos and quotes:

Close up photo of Factory Reunion on our physical calendar of events board.
Close up photo of Factory Reunion on our physical calendar of events board.
A welcome to the Factory Reunion desktop sign
A welcome to the Factory Reunion desktop sign
Factory Reunion name tag.
Factory Reunion name tag.
Game instructions for our Factory Reuniuon
Game instructions for our Factory Reuniuon

The event had a great turn out with many past and current members in attendance. It was great to reconnect with old coworkers and meet new ones as well as to get acquainted with the new space. Attending the reunion and rekindling these friendships has led me to rejoining The Factory on a part time basis. I couldn't be happier to be back.

Amelie Watt
A Factory member wearing a brown shirt with a Factory brand logo, leading a conversation at a table while a community guest with braided hair and classes chats with another member.
A Factory member wearing a brown shirt with a Factory brand logo, leading a conversation at a table while a community guest with braided hair and classes chats with another member.
Three of our Factory community members enjoying a laugh at a table in one of our conference rooms
Three of our Factory community members enjoying a laugh at a table in one of our conference rooms
Three of our Factory community members standing around a table having a talk.
Three of our Factory community members standing around a table having a talk.
A Factory member leading a conversation while two other Factory members stand adjacent.
A Factory member leading a conversation while two other Factory members stand adjacent.

It was a good time - got to meet some new folks and see some old friends I hadn't seen in quite a long time. Plus tons of pizza varieties was great :)

Dave Brondsema
A former Factory member wearing blue framed glasses standing next to a current Factory member listen to a conversation with other Factory member.
A former Factory member wearing blue framed glasses standing next to a current Factory member listen to a conversation with other Factory member.
A Factory member wearing a grey fleece zipper sweater has a conversation with another Factory member.
A Factory member wearing a grey fleece zipper sweater has a conversation with another Factory member.

Factory Members are just some of the most fun people, they all do such different and interesting work but want to be around people and have that social aspect to their day. So, when you have an event that brings back a bunch of former members who left because they moved or changed jobs you end up with a huge party that's all killer no filler! And the cherry on top of the event was of course the themed puzzles and trivia by Factory Member Jonathan Chaffer! Just another fun reminder at how much better coming to the Factory is than always working from home :)

Leanna Pelham
Factory members, current and former discussing the new space.
Factory members, current and former discussing the new space.
One of our favorite Factory members sharing a conversation.
One of our favorite Factory members sharing a conversation.

Loved it! A chance to see old Factory Friends was the highlight of my month. Having been a member for 8 years or so, I've built a lot of relationships at the Factory, and reconnecting with those who have moved on to new work locations was so fulfilling. I hope we have another well-attended reunion in the future!

Kristen Rampe
A former, bearded Factory member wearing a blue and white plaid shirt, having a great laugh telling a story.
A former, bearded Factory member wearing a blue and white plaid shirt, having a great laugh telling a story.
Two Factory members who are wearing glasses, one in a black and white short sleeved top and the other in a red short sleeve top, catch up on life.
Two Factory members who are wearing glasses, one in a black and white short sleeved top and the other in a red short sleeve top, catch up on life.
Two Factory members looking at a laptop computer screen.
Two Factory members looking at a laptop computer screen.
Three of our Factory community members enjoying a laugh at a table in one of our conference rooms
Three of our Factory community members enjoying a laugh at a table in one of our conference rooms

It was great, awesome to have some personal time with the folks you share a space with.

Trent Nielsen

As the longest standing coworking space in West Michigan, we've had a lot of faces come though our doors. And after a decade of making connections, we knew we had to invite back our community and create the opportunity to reconnect. From our weekly newsletter, The Factory Haps, we had a large collection of contacts to reach out to. Over the 4 hours of our reunion we had ~55 current and former members join us and see our new location. During that time we had food, drinks, games, prizes, and most importantly, community.


Want to join The Factory Haps? Click here!

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