Tech firms join eclectic Lafayette Mill mix

BRIDGE BUILDING: North Kingstown’s Lafayette Mill got a boost Dec. 9 with the addition of Bridge Technical Talent, which moved 20 employees into 4,000 square feet of space. Pictured at left is James Wright, partner at Bridge, with Michael Baker, Bakeford Properties owner, at Bridge’s new office. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
BRIDGE BUILDING: North Kingstown’s Lafayette Mill got a boost Dec. 9 with the addition of Bridge Technical Talent, which moved 20 employees into 4,000 square feet of space. Pictured at left is James Wright, partner at Bridge, with Michael Baker, Bakeford Properties owner, at Bridge’s new office. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Rhode Island’s continuing progress in reinventing the charm of its historic mills for 21st-century businesses is blossoming in North Kingstown. The echo of manufacturing productivity, easy access to Route 4, plenty of parking and the Wickford train station a mile away with service to Boston has added up to 80 percent occupancy at Lafayette Mill.
“I take the train from Wickford to Boston every Monday because our parent company is in the Prudential Center. I get off the train in Boston and walk across the street – it’s great,” said Kathleen Repoli, senior vice president at Amazing Charts, which develops, sells and supports electronic medical records for 8,000 practices across the country. Amazing Charts’ Boston-based parent company is DBC Pri-Med and occasionally some employees from that office take the train to meet colleagues in North Kingstown.
Amazing Charts first leased space for three people in the smaller Shewatuck Building at the Lafayette Mill complex in 2006. The company grew to six people in 2007 and when they needed room for expansion, moved down the road to the Meadows Office Park. Amazing Charts has experienced dramatic growth and outgrew two floors at the Meadows, so two years ago moved back to Lafayette Mill’s main structure, the Rodman Building, named for the family that owned the textile empire.
Amazing Charts now has 100 employees, 10 of them working remotely and 90 of them in 16,400 square feet of space on the entire third floor. The company just renewed its lease for two more years.
“This is awesome space, it’s just beautiful,” said Repoli. “The mill itself has huge windows with natural lighting and it still has the historic feel to it. I think it lends itself very nicely to tech companies that have a bit of funkiness and teams that want to be casual.” After going through the ups and downs of economic cycles and phases of renovation in the 30-plus years he’s owned the mill, Michael Baker, owner of Bakeford Properties LLC, is looking with optimism at the current up-cycle.
“We’ve been at 80 percent occupancy before and my goal, of course, is to be at 100 percent,” said Baker. “I’m excited now because we’re getting tech companies and The Hive has been a catalyst.”
The Hive, which officially opened in September in 2,500 square feet, is co-working space at Lafayette Mill offering four offices, as well as common areas with desks, chairs, sofas and office equipment. Individuals or small businesses ready to move up from coffee shops can rent common space for as little as $15 a day to the current $100-per-month special for a 12-month commitment.
“The four offices have been leased since we began,” said The Hive co-founder Tuni Schartner. “We have a [lunch for] networking every Tuesday. In 2014 we’ll be starting a Thursday lunch-and-learn for $5, including lunch, with presenters from the business community. We feature the work of local artists and have gallery nights.”
The Hive has attracted tenants that include a graphic designer, a photographer, an interior designer, software developers and a real estate company.
The one gap so far has been the lack of a coffee shop or restaurant at Lafayette Mill.
“We’re working on that – it’s in the plans,” said Baker. “So far, [Schartner] has been coordinating food and coffee trucks to come here.”
A previous gap, one that temporarily knocked some of the wind out of the development of the mill, was the departure of the R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families two years ago after a 10-year lease. “With the state leaving a couple of years ago, it’s been kind of a roller coaster – 70,000 square feet in one spot in North Kingstown is a lot of space to fill,” said Baker. “Now things are picking up quite a bit.”
The latest sign of the uptick at Lafayette Mill is its newest tenant, Bridge Technical Talent, which consolidated its offices in East Greenwich and Warwick and moved 20 employees into 4,000 square feet of space Dec. 9.
“We started the search for new space about a year ago with a list,” said James Wright, one of two partners in Bridge Technical Talent. “We thought it would be great to have plenty of parking space and a kitchen so people don’t have to eat at their desks.
“This building spoke to us. We love the natural light. We love the vibe,” said Wright. “We wanted plenty of open space to encourage collaboration among our employees.”
Growing the tenant base and the energy of Lafayette Mill has taken collaboration, said Baker.
“I had a lot of help from BankRI, my primary lender. They helped me get through the downturn and the lower occupancy and now they’re stepping up again to help me do more improvements,” said Baker.
Many tenants now in Lafayette Mill show the range of businesses helping move it toward Baker’s goal of 100 percent occupancy – there’s a physical therapy group, a yoga studio and a children’s play and party center.
“When we first bought buildings here, we knew this was a good location, near Route 4, and it would eventually be something good,” said Baker. “I just didn’t think it would take 30 years.” •

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