The community here at Vibe is pretty dang special and, while we all contribute to building that community up, it takes a team of rockstar people who truly love the space, the people in it, and are committed to forging new connections between them so the community can thrive and grow in exceptional ways to really make it soar.
One such rockstar is our new Community Lead, Amber Sallay. Amber is here to boost the Vibe member and guest experience to the next level (like into the stratosphere, next level), strengthen and grow our community, and help ensure everyone feels that they are truly an important part of Vibe.
Get to know a bit more about Amber, her background, and her work at Vibe with the interview below. Then be sure to say hi and introduce yourself the next time you see her at Vibe.
As Community Lead at Vibe Coworks, Amber Sallay serves as a connector of dots between members, creating and cultivating relationships in a way that maintains the inspirational culture that Vibe is known for, building connections strong connections, and putting the ‘happy’ in work.
Tell us about yourself. What’s your story?
Amber: I grew up in the international community, moving every couple of years. My father is American and my mother is Ugandan-Indian. My dad has worked for the State Department for almost 20 years, so with his career I mostly grew up throughout Africa and Europe, returning to the US for college.
I graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelors of Science, and a minor in Arabic. Following college, I was in the process of joining the Marine Corps as an officer when I unfortunately got sick with COVID halfway through training and had to change plans. That brought me the opportunity to move to a new home and I landed in Hansville, where I was fortunate enough to find this role here as the Community Lead here at Vibe Coworks.
What excites you most about your new role as Vibe Community Lead?
Amber: Being completely new to the area and new to this role, what has been most exciting is the people I have met here at Vibe and the community I’ve been able to build around myself as a newcomer to Kitsap.
“I want to create an inviting space for new members and a place where people feel connected to their community even outside of Vibe. Whether they are new to the area or not, coworking spaces are the perfect place to make those connections.”
Amber Sallay
What do you love most about the space and community?
Amber: I love how inviting and comfortable the space feels to people. I think that’s what helps grow and foster the connections we are able to make with each other in our community.
You’ve experienced a lot of the world and have a very global perspective. How do you think that plays into your work at Vibe and the community here?
Amber: I think the benefit of traveling as often as I have, is being able to connect with a lot of different people from all walks of life. I am able to have shared experiences and be relatable. It’s helped me in this role immensely because I’ve met a lot of extraordinary people here who have lived in some of the same places as I have, and we have that shared connection.
What skills are you most excited to put to use in this new role?
Amber: My role is to really focus on members, guests, and their experience as as part of Vibe Coworks. In college, I spent my summers working as an intern for the State Department, and during the school year I was an assistant manager at our university’s bookstore, the Broncoshop. Both of those roles made me an incredibly adaptable in any situation, and really let me focus on my people skills and giving good customer service. In both roles, I organized and hosted a lot of events so I’m happy to utilize those skills here at Vibe, and continue to connect our members with each other and strengthen our community.
Vibe Coworks Community Lead, Amber Sallay, is working to build out a wide variety of member benefits, including partnerships with coworking spaces across the country. Among these is The Pioneer Collective (TPC), with locations in Tacoma, Seattle and (coming soon!) Bellevue. Amber recently met with TPC Community Manager, Sheila McClung (right) at their Tacoma location, pictured above.
We’re seeing a trend towards coworking becoming more common among government employees and federal workers now. What do you think about this transition? What potential changes do you think this may bring?
Amber: I think it’s great that government contractors and federal employees are embracing coworking. After the pandemic, we proved that we don’t need to do everything from home, and can work remotely and securely. I think it’s important that federal employees know that they can bring their work here, that their work is secure, and that they will get high-speed internet.
I think it will be a great start to further continuing a blend between government workers, and the private sector. With the increase of more federal employees using coworking spaces, we will see a change in how spaces are designed, whether that be more private conference rooms that are soundproof or areas within coworking buildings that provide more privacy from other people being able to view your work station.
“We proved that we don’t need to do everything from home, and can work remotely and securely. I think it’s important that federal employees know that they can bring their work here, that their work is secure, and that they will get high-speed internet. I think it will be a great start to further continuing a blend between government workers, and the private sector.”
Amber Sallay
Hosted in Seattle, Amber Sallay and Vibe CEO Alanna Imbach attended GCUC, the world’s largest coworking industry conference, representing Vibe Coworks while also learning about industry trends and imaging happier, healthier, more efficient ways of working.
You recently attended GCUC, the world’s largest coworking industry conference. What was one of your biggest takeaways from the experience?
Amber: Across the board, the biggest takeaway was that the No. 1 thing coworking spaces across the globe are seeing is that people are really looking for a place of community and belonging.
I want to make sure that I can create an inviting space for new members and a place where people feel connected to their community even outside of Vibe. Whether they are new to the area or not, coworking spaces are the perfect place to make those connections.
What do you love most about coworking in general? What excites you about the future of the industry and its potential impact on the way the world views and does work?
Amber: I think the best aspect of coworking is the energy we can get from each other. We all collectively come here to Vibe to get our work done, and you can feed off that energy and you want to get your work done as well when you see other people passionately doing their work, too.
What really excites me most about this industry is its outlook on work-life balance. All the people that I have met in this industry so far have created great work-life balances that we aren’t living to work, but that we work to live a comfortable life. With finding that great balance of work output to taking care of yourself and your family, the work that people are producing is amazing.
What is one thing you’d want anyone new to the concept of coworking to know or understand?
Amber: I think the biggest part is that we’re the coworkers you choose to work with. It’s not people you’re dreading to see in your office, you’re working here with like-minded people, who are creative, and fun and add to the environment that you’re in. Coworking spaces are incredible but it’s the people that make it worth it.
“For me, the best aspect of coworking is the energy we can get from each other. We all collectively come here to Vibe to get our work done, and you can feed off that energy and you want to get your work done as well when you see other people passionately doing their work, too. ”
Amber Sallay