Untethered Acquires Cowork Tahoe
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Cowork Tahoe, the very first coworking space in the Tahoe Basin, has been acquired by the team at Untethered, just as Cowork Tahoe celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin International, civic leader, and technology innovator, joined with his son Trevor, to co-found Untethered Workspace with David and Jamie Orr in 2021 after purchasing an underused office building in Zephyr Cove. After enjoying a successful collaboration and a thriving business at Untethered Workspace with the Orrs, the Pipkins have acquired 50% of Cowork Tahoe, joining Cowork founders, David and Jamie Orr, in ownership of both the coworking space and the Harrison Avenue property–formerly the Tahoe Daily Tribune building.
Having the two coworking spaces serving the South Shore of Lake Tahoe owned by the same business partners will create a more cohesive and robust experience for professionals living and visiting the South Shore. The merger will enhance the overall experience for members and visitors, fostering greater innovation, collaboration, and success through the combined and synergistic network of professionals.
Cowork Tahoe and Untethered now serve a combined membership of over 300 people working for 100 companies. More than 75% of members of both spaces work for companies local to the South Shore. Both Cowork and Untethered provide opportunities for locals and visitors to interact, collaborate, and network with others who share a love of Lake Tahoe and the community.
The Orrs and the Pipkins are excited not only to continue supporting a thriving small business community, but also making a positive impact through their support of local nonprofits whether by providing space for board meetings, sponsoring events, or direct contributions to the organizations in partnership with the Pipkin’s Desolation Hotel, with locations in South Lake Tahoe and Hope Valley.
Current members of Cowork Tahoe and Untethered can now enjoy reciprocal access to workspace on either side of the state line. Additionally, due to Cowork and Untethered’s commitment to excellence, members are able to take advantage of free days at coworking spaces all over North America through the League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces (LExC) membership network.
Coworking in Tahoe turns 10
It is Bill Gates that is often credited with saying that, “Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years.”
A decade ago, David & Jamie Orr took a leap. They packed up and left careers in their Bay Area home towns to move full time to Tahoe. “We committed to building a better quality of life for ourselves and our family,” says David Orr of the move.
Jamie Orr added, “We quickly realized that to do that, we needed to also commit to the local community. We invested in the belief that small businesses save small towns, and that businesses in Tahoe can be just as successful as any built in Silicon Valley, or anywhere else.”
In early 2014, the first coworking space in the Tahoe Basin, originally called Tahoe Mountain Lab, opened its doors in a small office space at the bottom of Ski Run Blvd. The professional community at “the Lab” grew quickly and included local small businesses, remote workers, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. So quickly in fact, that it became clear that more space was needed. Just two years after first launching, the coworking space moved into its new home in the renovated Tahoe Daily Tribune building.
Now, in 2024, Cowork Tahoe has been acquired by Untethered, a sister coworking space co-founded by Jamie and David with Chet and Trevor Pipkin. After collaborating successfully on Untethered, and growing the Untethered business and brand together for the past 2 years, this expanded partnership made sense.
“Ten years into this business adventure, we are so proud that the other half of the company we founded has been acquired by a titan of tech and his amazing family, and will continue to operate and grow from right here in South Lake Tahoe,” said David Orr.
“We love Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities, and hope to be a positive influence in protecting and enhancing the area, including responsible contributions to economic and personal growth. We’re delighted to support our neighbors and members as they bring their own innovation, hard work, and contributions to the area. We appreciate the passion, commitment, dedication and huge hearts of the Orr’s, and are excited to expand our work with them and offer new opportunities to our members.” added Trevor Pipkin
The Orrs are so proud of what they have built, and know they have not done it alone. They would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to local commercial real estate broker, Scott Fair, whose hopeful vision for his hometown led the Orrs to the purchase of the Tahoe Daily Tribune Building on Harrison Avenue in the first place. Years later, it was also Scott Fair that ensured that the Orr and Pipkin Families were introduced to one another, which led to the creation of Untethered, and to a growing and productive partnership committed to making a positive impact on the Tahoe community.
They would also like to congratulate Bernard and Cristi Creegan on their successful exit from Cowork Tahoe, and thank Jesse Walker, who helped launch the original Tahoe Mountain Lab coworking concept with the Orrs on Ski Run Blvd a decade ago. They would also like to extend their gratitude to the South Shore community, who have supported their vision and contributed to its success in innumerable ways.
For more information, please visit:
Cowork Tahoe: coworktahoe.com
Untethered: untethered.space
Desolation Hotel: desolationhotel.com
