Flagship 2 at 100% Occupancy in Less Than Three Months

In less than three months since the Charleston Digital Corridor opened the Flagship 2, the city's second downtown incubator is completely full.

The Flagship 2, which works with intermediate-stage, knowledge-based companies, has 17 companies in its 13,700-square-foot facility. Nine of those companies relocated to Charleston from other states, including Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, New York and California. The Digital Corridor said that has resulted in the creation of 64 jobs.

"I am very pleased at the positive response to the development of the city's second facility designed to support the growth of Charleston's knowledge economy," Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said in a news release. "With FS2, we have successfully leveraged the knowledge gleaned from the development of our first building in 2009. FS2 is financially self-supporting, a win for city taxpayers and our target companies."

The 17 companies represent software development, Internet technology, engineering, sustainability and advertising, the Digital Corridor said.

"FS2 provides a community environment where young, dynamic businesses can easily share experiences and wisdom that relate to common challenges we all face," said Mark Volkmann, who relocated from California to launch his company here. 2Book offers online business development tools and services.

Volkmann said that by coming to the Flagship 2, he was able to focus on his company without worrying about leasing and outfitting an office and could "hit the ground running."

"Charleston's innovation economy is on the move," said Ernest Andrade, Charleston's business development director. "We are accelerating the high-wage, knowledge segment of our already diverse economy at an unprecedented rate and encourage middle to senior technical professionals seeking a prosperous, amenity-rich lifestyle to join in this explosive growth."

Located at 78 Alexander St., the Flagship 2 is adjacent to the city's original business incubator, the Flagship. That building, at the corner of East Bay and Calhoun streets, opened in June 2009 in the former site of a video store.

The Flagship is meant for businesses in the startup phase and as a temporary landing pad for firms relocating to Charleston. The 12 offices there are small, between 75 and 150 square feet.

The Flagship 2 was developed for companies that are established and growing, with spaces ranging from 300 to 3,000 square feet. But like the original Flagship, the leased space isn't meant to be permanent.

The idea is for companies to grow out of their incubator space, ultimately adding more jobs in the community, Riley said in June at the opening of the facility.