Thrive
Coworking space coming to the EDGE District
Connect St. Pete will officially open Nov. 3.
It was only natural for Josh Naaman and Eric Nutting to collaborate on a coworking space. The two entrepreneurs co-founded a leadership organization together in 2023.
Now, they’re opening Connect St. Pete, Nov. 3.
The goal initially was to find a central location for Sun Leaders – their passion project. More importantly, Naaman and Nutting wanted to create an environment that encourages community members to collaborate and network.
This led the duo to lease a 2,600-square-foot unit at 1211 1st Avenue N. Choosing the EDGE District was in part due to Naaman and Nutting‘s partnership with EDGE executive director Roger Curlin.
Naaman and Nutting first met at another coworking space around six years ago. Both have businesses in St. Petersburg. Nutting runs the Growth Coach of St. Pete and Naaman leads marketing company Naaman Creative.
Events will be a key aspect of Connect St. Pete. Naaman and Nutting previously created programming for other coworking spaces.
There will be leadership development sessions, educational seminars, panel discussions and coffee roundtables on a weekly basis. Eight to 10 events will be held per month.
“We really are leaning into this idea of being more of a coworking community, rather than a coworking space,” Nutting said.
The grand opening week of Connect St. Pete will feature events every day. Nov. 3 will bring tours of the facility (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) as well as a grand opening celebration (4-7 p.m.).
Naaman and Nutting will host a Mindful Mornings session Nov. 4 from 8:30-9:30 a.m.
A panel discussion entitled “Is There Common Ground in Politics?,” featuring attorneys Nick Fiorentino (who unsuccessfully ran to be a Florida 6th Circuit Court judge), Doug Jackson and Whitney Smith, will be held from 4-6 p.m.
Nutting will lead a growth workshop,“Building a Roadmap for 2026,” Nov. 5 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
A coffee roundtable discussion will be held Nov. 6 from 9-10:30 a.m. Additionally, a panel entitled “Free Leadership’s Community Cultivator: Mindful Men” is scheduled from 6:30- 8:30 p.m.
The first Sun Leaders meeting at Connect St. Pete will take place Nov. 7 from 1-2:30 p.m. Curlin will be giving an “EDGE Insights” presentation from 3-4:15 p.m. To conclude the day, a networking night is scheduled from 5-8 p.m.
Connect St. Pete will also have a podcast studio, Nutting said. Sun Leaders has its own podcast series.
Naaman and Nutting will launch the Connect News Network podcast early next year. This will be an opportunity for members and partners to record news segments based on their industry, Naaman explained. These will air eventually on a weekly basis.
There will be multiple membership packages for Connect St. Pete. Day passes will also be available.
