Christian DeBenedetti lives, uh - i mean works in the hive. It has seemed a bit like he was living in the hive as he pushed hard against the deadline to finish a book in recent weeks. What book? The book that makes Christian the envy of most who talk to him for 5 minutes. Christian is a writer, and in the time he’s been at the hive, he’s been writing for National Geographic. About beer. No kidding. For months it has been Christian’s work to travel to microbreweries all over the US and write about that. Amazon now has The Great American Ale Trail: The Craft Beer Lover’s Guide to the Best Watering Holes in the Nation available for pre-order.

I stopped Christian to ask how edits were going the other day. Smoothly, and it’s a good thing since he’s distracted by the overwhelming response to a recent invention. At Leftbank’s holiday party last December, Christian made a friend. Christian was new at Leftbank then, and he stayed for the party to get to know some neighbors. Sharing a beer with a product desiger who was then part of DC202, they hatched a collaboration that led to collaborating with a third person, and culminated in producing The Brauler. It’s like a growler, only better. Uncrate unveiled it this week. Patents are pending, the first round of Braulers haven’t left the factory, and 1000s of people have signed the waiting list for one.

I see two lessons: focus on what you love, and accept party invitations. You never know where authentic focus and meeting new people will take you.

A Leftbank Hiver came to me late last year to present an idea. Leon Yeh of Mobiten had found himself many times helping lost newcomers navigate Leftbank’s halls. He also found himself wanting more ways to connect with other Leftbankers. He teamed up with a friend, Jamie Lawson of OTM Productions, and hatched the plan for an interactive Leftbank directory. They imagined an iPad in the main lobby that would help visitors find their way, would help people in the building get to know each other, and would (to put it plainly) be fun.

In the months since, Leon and Jamie developed the app they envisioned, Jamie came to work in the Hive, and they have easily persuaded every Leftbanker they’ve showed it to that the coming interactive directory is fun and functional if not indispensable. They’re working now to get every group in the building scheduled to shoot a video clip, and having fun getting to know other Leftbankers while they’re filming: behind the scenes.

Our newest Hive member, Jonathan Maus (Editor-in-Chief of BikePortland.org) recently interviewed Upstream’s Mel Rader about his involvement in a Transportation Seminar Series at Portland State University which investigates links between transport (greenhouse gas emissions) and health.  You can check out this interview here.

a slideshow from my favorite co-working space, the Hive..    

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

think about it:

your very own desk handcrafted from salvaged tropical hardwood + loads of common work space + print room + Leftbank cafe + conference rooms + a really cool locker + showers + leftbank community (inspired people) + 24/7 access.       If you’d like to know more, click here!