The recent pandemic forced a lot of professionals to work from home, which at first blush sounds like a good thing. But it’s not always conducive to productivity.
It was something Matthew Garvey learned firsthand. He loved his family, but as executive vice president — digital services for a major consulting firm, he really needed an office.
At the time, the link was still under construction at 425 Town Plaza Ave., in the heart of Nocatee. And, like a lot of people, Garvey was curious about it. What was this 22,500-square-foot structure? When he discovered that it was, among other things, a co-working space, he knew his search for an office was over.
“I saw pictures of it, and it looked beautiful,” Garvey said. “It looked like the perfect solution that just coincidentally walked into my life at the right time.”
Like the link itself, the professionals who work there tend toward innovation and forward thinking. If there is a trait they seem to share, it’s a willingness to tackle new ideas and define themselves apart from the crowd.
And Garvey is no exception. After earning his juris doctor, he went to work in investment banking. When he was among the many who lost their jobs in the financial crisis of 2008, he turned to friends he’d made while serving as an intern for then-Sen. Bill Nelson. That led to a job in federal government contracting.
Because his new position was based in technology, he knew he would have to get up to speed if he was going to engage in meaningful conversations with his clients. He launched a years-long journey, including a graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a CTO program at Wharton Executive Education.
The hard work paid off. In 2016, he went to work as a program manager for B3 Group Inc., an award-winning IT consulting firm specializing in digital services and innovative technology solutions, advancing to the role of executive vice president. Then, when Octo Consulting bought the company, he made the transition as a senior executive in the new firm.
Today, he and his team of 300-plus are working on one of the largest technology modernization programs in the public sector in support of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. That transformation will save tens of millions of tax dollars and provide a modern user experience that’s identical to the systems and applications they use in their personal lives.
Garvey said he likes the idea of co-location as it exists at the link.
“You can talk, and you can learn, and you can grow, and you can find a new business or evolve your current one,” he said. “That vibe is really attractive, especially in the technology space. There’s a tremendous amount of energy.”
He’s also found the environment to be family friendly.
“My kids have been to my office 1,000 times,” he said. “They always have a blast.”
He added that he was grateful for the facility.
“It serves a need that I don’t know anybody would have thought of,” he said. “It fits beautifully within the community.”
