Our latest “Meet The Team” series explores more about Keith Warner, Managing Partner of Pacific Workplaces. We asked Keith how he joined the shared workspace industry, what he likes to do outside of work, and his favorite part of working at Pacific Workplaces. Read on to learn more!
Where did you grow up?
I’m a Silicon Valley native. We lived in Palo Alto when I was born, we moved to Sunnyvale when I was 4 years old; and after college, I got married and moved “all the way” to Cupertino, California. I love the Bay Area for the weather and proximity to the ocean and Sierra Nevada mountains!
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I enjoy morning walks with our Golden Retriever, Hope. I love wine bars and dinner out with my wife, Linda. We watch movies and Golden State Warrior Basketball games at home, and on the weekends I try to get out on my mountain bike or standup paddle board in Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay.
How did you get into the Shared Workspace industry?
My father started a company called American Executive Center that I worked for after college. It wasn’t my intention to run business centers forever, but the more I learned about the business and how we filled a niche of serviced office space for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups, the more I got hooked.
A few years later, my brother, Jeff, joined the company as well and we ran it together as dad ventured off to other businesses and eventually retired.
How did you come to join Pac?
Jeff and I had known the owners of Pacific Workplaces for several years – mostly seeing them at Global Workspace industry conferences thousands of miles from both of our business locations. Eventually, we all agreed we would be a better company if we joined forces and strengthened our coverage around the Bay Area. In 2008, American Executive Center and Pacific Workplaces merged to create the regional shared workspace provider it is today.
What is your favorite part of working at Pac?
I love that we have a tremendous amount of employees (Pacmates) that are so talented at the things I’m either not very good at or don’t enjoy doing, which allows me the opportunity to do what I love and hopefully do well.
I also enjoy visiting all our locations and hearing stories from happy members and how Pac has helped them achieve success (which really is our mission in a nutshell!)
In what ways, if any, does your personal style or passions converge with your profession?
I’ve always been one that thrives in a neat, organized, orderly space, and it’s been fun for me to help create and maintain this type of environment for others to work in and flourish. I love it when someone comments that they can’t put their finger on it, but working in our space just feels “right”. That being in our workspace makes them more productive, helps them close deals, and even makes them more profitable. It’s in this moment that my desire to organize everything, systematize all processes, and pick up every paper hole-punch circle on the floor makes perfect sense (and so does my doctor’s OCD diagnosis).
About Pacific Workplaces
Pacific Workplaces (Pac: for short) are great places to work, with a wide range of part-time and full-time furnished office spaces, including virtual offices, private offices and mini-suites, in a shared infrastructure environment with curated communities that maximize networking opportunities and serendipity. Members have access to meeting rooms, coworking areas, business lounges, VoIP telephony, unified messaging, answering services, IT support, admin support, and an online legal library under a pay-per-need hosted model Pac: refers to as Workplace-as-a-Service™. All Pac: centers are operated by PBC Management LLC.