South Lake Tahoe entrepreneurs honored for their vision

The Tahoe Mountain Lab founders were honored Thursday for their creation of a unique business that promotes the expansion of opportunities in the South Lake Tahoe community.

Cristi and Bernard Creegan, Jamie and David Orr received the Sierra Vision Award from the Sierra Business Council (SBC) for the creation of their co-working space, the first of its kind on the South Shore. They took the old Tahoe Daily Tribune building and turned into a facility that offers a mix of shared open-concept desks and private office space for the purpose of bringing together freelancers, entrepreneurs, and remote workers in a productive and collaborative environment.

Steve Frisch of SBC presented the award, along with interim Tahoe Chamber Executive Director Steve Teshara, the first winner of the Vision Award 20 years ago.

"What you have done here is innovative and spectacular," said Teshara. "We are grateful."

SBC honors visionaries annually in the Sierra Nevada with over 60 recipients since the 1996 award to Teshara.

"Everybody should be doing something to make their community better," said Frisch. He said the Tahoe Mountain Lab inspires community around a workplace, something many entrepreneurs who work alone, or at home, don't normally get to experience.

With 1/3 of the American population making some income from the "gig economy," Frisch said the Mountain Lab is truly inspiring in getting those local worker to be part of a community.

In thanking SBC for the award, Dr. Jaime Orr said, "We believe in our community first."

Monico Castro from Senator Ted Gaines' office was also at the ceremony to bring a proclamation from the Senator. "I am amazed at what I see here," said Castro of the co-working space.

David Orr was part of several startup companies in the Silicon Valley prior to moving to South Lake Tahoe with Jamie. He said every one of those startups had horrible work spaces until he joined E-Share who took over one floor of the AOL building. He said they had fresh water fish tanks, a gourmet kitchen, snacks always stocked in the shelves, all in a space where the employees could bounce ideas off each other and be creative in their problem solving.

Orr said they moved to the South Shore to figure out what to next in his career when he spoke with "B" Gorman of the Tahoe Chamber about a co-working space and if it would succeed in South Lake Tahoe. All he heard were encouraging "do its" so they started the first Tahoe Mountain Lab on Ski Run Blvd.

The success of that first building made it obvious that the South Shore was indeed ready for this type of community work spaces and they had to soon expand to their current space on Harrison Avenue.

"The community in South Lake Tahoe chose to believe in us," said David Orr when asked what it meant to win the award. "We've not only been able to be successful, but we've had a positive impact on the community."

The lab spaces are currently all full, with engineering firms, a marketing company, non-profits, a mortgage company, and others all occupying the rented offices and desk space.

“The benefit of working in this type of environment is having the opportunity to create connections that lead to meaningful professional relationships,” said co-founder Cristi Creegan.

One of the businesses who had enough of the hectic Silicon Valley lifestyle and came to South Lake Tahoe for a co-working community is Eagle Protect from New Zealand. President and Founder Steve Ardagh and his wife Lynda moved to town with their two children in August, and brought their global supply company with them. Steve said they appreciate the community feel of the Mountain Lab and the town, are are looking forward to winter in Tahoe.