When a real estate problem turns into a business opportunity… and then scales across the West Coast. That’s the CENTRL Office origin story. In this episode, we sit down with Alex Hughes, co-founder of CENTRL Office, to hear how a “no man's land” office building in Portland led to a full-on flex brand with locations in Oregon, Washington, and California.
Alex shares how they’ve transitioned completely to true management agreements, the role of tenant experience, and why the “vibe” is more than just good coffee and nice design.
We cover:
-
How CENTRL Office grew out of a leasing challenge and scaled with a flexible model that works for landlords.
-
Why they moved from leases to fully aligned management agreement, and what that actually looks like.
-
The types of buildings and partnerships that set the stage for long-term success (spoiler: they’re not looking for one-off deals).
-
How enterprise demand is showing up in LA and why it’s reshaping what “coworking” means.
-
The challenge and opportunity of bringing hospitality-level service to landlord portfolios through flex operations.
If you’re working on creative deal structures, supporting landlords through flex, or just trying to figure out how to scale your vibe, this one’s for you.
Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:
Connect with your Hosts:
Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.