JAVIER GARCÍA IZA
IOS OFFICES seeks to create integral business hubs or mixed-use spaces so its clients can experience an extraordinary environment every day at work.
BIOGRAPHY
Javier García Iza is an entrepreneur and visionary. With his brother Adrián, he founded IOS OFFICES, which in 12 years has become the leading company in the country for coworking spaces. It has won international awards and recognitions as the best offices to work in for their design, productivity, and happiness in the workplace. In addition to serving companies of national and global prestige, they inspire and drive thousands of new entrepreneurs, supporting them to make their dreams come true.
What are the main trends in Mexico when it comes to co-working spaces, and how do you predict demand in this space to change in the coming years?
Coworking spaces have been the subject of some hype over recent years, but this is not a new business. I have been in this business for over 20 years, and this industry has been around for almost 40. The concept started in San Francisco, and it has been evolving and changing ever since. There are many new things going on, new companies, and many new styles, but at the end of the day people need to work. Part of the time, they need to concentrate and focus on whatever they are doing, and at other times, they can be productive if they work in open spaces where they interact with other people and get new ideas or fresh perspectives. IOS OFFICES is sticking to its core in delivering to our clients the different scenarios we all experience in a normal business day. We do many other things too. For example, we have a bar with free coffee and alcohol; it is only for members. If you need a distraction, you can stop working for a while without leaving your workplace. We try to change the ambiance, for example, by offering dining rooms. We also organize over 3,000 different events every year. Our main event is the annual IOS Network Summit that takes place mid-year, where we invite business leaders to share their story of success. We gather around 1,500 of our community members in Mexico City for a full day of networking.
How would you evaluate the overall performance of IOS OFFICES in 2019, and how did it compare to 2018?
IOS OFFICES had one of its best years in 2019 in a number of ways. We had record-high occupancy levels and our net promoter score was around 95%, which means our clients are happy. I co-founded IOS OFFICES in 2007 with my brother Adrián. It has been a long road, but we are finally growing at a steady pace. The market recognizes us as the leader in Mexico for co-working spaces. Our footprint is the largest in the country, with presence in 12 cities and 36 locations. Our clients are entrepreneurs, professionals, and large companies looking for a solution where they can work and be productive and happy at the same time. In 2020, we are adding a center in Culiacán, León, and Guadalajara and a few more in Mexico City, along with some others under negotiation.
What strategies do you use to identify the next locations for your centers?
We look for integral business hubs or mixed-use spaces where our clients can experience an extraordinary environment every day at work. For example, at our location in Miyana, there are movie theaters, restaurants, three apartment buildings, and one office building. We are in the heart of Polanco, surrounded by hotels. We have established our brand in such a way that building owners and developers look for us. IOS OFFICES evaluates over 200 proposals each year, and we pick the best ones. We are mainly in spaces that are leased, but we do own some real estate. It depends on the city.
What are your main goals for 2020?
We are a goal-oriented kind of company. When we established IOS OFFICES, we set out an ambitious business plan along with short-term goals. In general, we follow a combination of long and short-term goals. As we accomplish a goal, another long-term goal becomes our short-term focus, so you could say we have a chain of goals. For 2020, we are opening more centers in a few more cities. One short-term goal is to open IOS outside of Mexico. We are always working on our company culture and product concept. In early 2020, we will open in León and Culiacán and perhaps in one more location outside of Mexico. Yes, we are going global.
JAVIER GARCÍA IZA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus
Inclusive development
Home to more than 22 million people, Mexico City is one of the most important cultural, financial, and educational centers in the world. While the lack of a coordinated approach to urban development has hurt the city's potential in the past, the current government is fully determined to promote inclusive growth and capture all the gains associated with urbanization.
read articleInterview
Alexis Langagne, North Latam Managing Director, Prosegur Security
With a cybersecurity firm, a guarding services firm, an electronic security systems company, and a video security company under its umbrella, Prosegur Security is the only company to offer a 360-degree security solution in Mexico.
read articleInterview
Rafael Fernando Marín Mollinedo , General Director, Public Decentralized Office of the Interoceanic Multimodal Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
With the development plan of Isthmus of Tehuantepec in hand, Mexico will bring about greater economic development in the country's often-overlooked south.
read articleForum
Engineering
Each one of the three companies featured in this forum are known for disrupting the construction industry in their own unique ways. While Grupo Beck is a pioneer of the integrated delivery process in Mexico, Bovis is among the first companies to build high-rise buildings in the country. Sacyr Concesiones, on the other hand, uses infrastructure development as a means to promote equality.
read articleInterview
Fabrizio Feliciani, Regional Director, UNOPS
As the UN's special projects services unit, UNOPS' main goal is to support public institutions that are undertaking important infrastructure projects to contribute significantly to advancing a country or region's development agenda.
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Alejandro R. Paolini, Managing Director of Mexico, Central America & Caribbean, Siemens Healthineer
Siemens Healthineers' aim is to support the growth and development of Mexico's healthcare sector and help the government with innovative technologies, especially those that help treat chronic diseases.
read articleInterview
Yon de Luisa Plazas, President, Mexican Football Federation (FEMEXFUT)
Mexico's Liga MX is among the world's top-10 football leagues, and FEMEXFUT plans to push it into the top three by improving four key pillars, namely sporting success, sports justice, international relations, and social responsibility.
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