185. Inside Collingwood Foundry with Brandon Houston: Rethinking Coworking Metrics

What if the real KPI for your coworking space isn't occupancy… but connection?

I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Brandon Houston, and this conversation stuck with me long after we hit stop.

Brandon is quietly building something really special in a small town in Ontario. His space, The Foundry, is 7,000 square feet in a community of just 26,000 people… and it's thriving. Not because of private offices or fancy amenities, but because of something most operators still undervalue: community.

He's built a system that tracks how members interact, who they're building relationships with, and how connected they are to the community. Every member even has a "pulse score" based on their engagement.

Brandon also shares:

• Why small, rural coworking spaces can absolutely thrive
• How automation and AI can support operators without replacing the human touch
• The surprising demand for social events over traditional programming
• Why open space and "collisions" matter more than maximizing office count

And maybe my favorite part… hearing how deeply personal this work is for him. From friendships to business partnerships to even meeting his partner, so much of his life has come from the community he's built.

This is one of those conversations that reminds you why coworking matters.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Brandon Houston Huwart on LinkedIn
Collingwood Foundry website

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