{"id":266766,"date":"2025-11-06T15:16:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/266766\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T15:16:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:16:10","slug":"staten-island-entrepreneur-to-be-honored-for-innovative-co-working-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/266766\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island entrepreneur to be honored for innovative co-working space"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 When Hala Maroc moved from bustling Astoria, Queens, to Arden Heights on Staten Island\u2019s South Shore as a junior high school student in 2004, she found herself feeling like \u201ca fish out of water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over two decades later, she\u2019s built what she couldn\u2019t find back then \u2014 a space where entrepreneurs, creatives and remote workers can collaborate, grow their businesses and build community.<\/p>\n

Maroc, 33, founder of Build A Dream Incubator, will be honored at the Staten Island Urban Center<\/a> Puerto Rican\/Latino Heritage Benefit Brunch on Saturday, Nov. 16, alongside Marjorie Garcia of the Boricua Legacy Project.<\/p>\n

The recognition celebrates Maroc\u2019s work fostering what she calls a \u201ccollaborative ecosystem\u201d at her North Shore-based co-working space, which recently marked its first anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored because the work that Staten Island Urban Center does runs deep,\u201d Maroc said. \u201cTo see that (the center\u2019s founder and CEO) Kelly Vilar<\/a> took something out of being here as well as her relationship with me and my team, is an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hala“A one-stop shop for people to take care of themselves and build themselves up and build their business up,” Build A Dream Incubator is a collaborative co-working space for creatives and entrepreneurs located in Tompkinsville.(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)<\/p>\n

Maroc took an unconventional path to entrepreneurship. After graduating from Tottenville High School in 2010, she attended the College of Staten Island, drawn to the school specifically for its on-campus, student-run radio station \u2014 WSIA-FM 88.9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWSIA plays a big role in my journey because it was really the first time I felt like I was feeding my creative side full time,\u201d said Maroc, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in communications and media in 2014. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of where I got the bug.\u201d<\/p>\n

That creative spark led her to securing internships at major radio stations, including Power 105, Hot 97 and WBLS. She eventually landed her first full-time on-air job at Foxy 99, a hip-hop station in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before moving on to Philadelphia\u2019s Boom 103.9.<\/p>\n

\"HalaThe 24-hour Build A Dream Incubator is a contemporary co-working space featuring a variety of amenities designed to help members kindle creativity and unwind.(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like that was the big break,\u201d Maroc recalled. But just a few months later, she was let go \u2014 a career setback that she believes was a defining moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI associated so much of who I was with what I do,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd once you don\u2019t have the thing that you do, you kind of feel lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concerned about how her mental health was being affected by the professional highs and lows, Maroc was inspired to create wellness workshops under the brand Badass Bootcamp. Promoting a model of \u201cfinding success through finding yourself,\u201d she began hosting events in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Toronto.<\/p>\n

Then the pandemic hit.<\/p>\n

\"HalaThe 24-hour Build A Dream Incubator is a contemporary co-working space featuring a variety of amenities designed to help members kindle creativity and unwind.(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)<\/p>\n

During COVID-19, Maroc pivoted again, assembling wellness kits for essential workers. She used samples she\u2019d received as a social media influencer \u2014 everything from skin care products to candles and crystals. Her growing network of local entrepreneurs led her to open a kiosk at Empire Outlets in St. George around 2020, which evolved into a storefront a year later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hated running a store,\u201d Maroc admitted. \u201cBut what I did love was the building of community and the programming that we were doing in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maroc\u2019s lease was abruptly terminated in 2024. She said she believes the closure was linked to her team\u2019s activism around social issues. <\/p>\n

Less than six months later, she opened the Build A Dream Incubator in a nearly tucked-away location she had long admired on Minthorne Street in Tompkinsville.<\/p>\n

\"HalaThe 24-hour Build A Dream Incubator is a contemporary co-working space featuring a variety of amenities designed to help members kindle creativity and unwind.(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)<\/p>\n

The 24-hour space features a variety of desk setups, conference rooms, a podcast\/recording studio and a caf\u00e9. It also offers spa services, a sauna, a fitness room and a \u201ccreator\u2019s lab\u201d \u2014 a private space where members can book time to produce products, merchandise and art for their businesses.<\/p>\n

Aided by her \u201cdream team,\u201d which includes experts in marketing, sales, promotions, administration, IT and finance, Maroc also provides educational programming, resources and services designed to help members further develop their businesses and creative projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a content room where media happens; We have the fitness and wellness spaces, we have the community and the programming,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt\u2019s really become a one-stop shop for people to take care of themselves, build themselves up and grow their businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HalaHala Maroc, 33, is founder of Build A Dream Incubator \u2014 a collaborative co-working space for creatives and entrepreneurs located in Tompkinsville.(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)<\/p>\n

With monthly memberships and day passes available, about 30 consistent members currently use the space \u2014 from remote workers seeking a productive environment to small business owners looking for a meeting spot. What makes it special, Maroc said, is its collaborative energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come here, and after a few hours, someone will learn what you do \u2014 then it ends up becoming a whole project you both work on,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s become a really cool environment where magic happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an Egyptian and Moroccan woman entrepreneur, Maroc sees her identity as central to her mission \u2014 one rooted in representation. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t look around and see anybody who was talking, speaking up for me, or setting an example,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt the responsibility from very young to be vocal and create the spaces for others to be, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy also fuels her love for Staten Island\u2019s North Shore, which she calls an \u201cunder-appreciated gem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNowhere else in the city can you be in New York, looking at the skyline of New York,\u201d Maroc noted. \u201cBeing in this location helps us dream big. You don\u2019t feel disconnected from the rest of the city, but it also has this small-town feel to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hala\u201cPeople come here, and you\u2019ll be here for a few hours, and someone will learn what you do \u2014 then it ends up becoming a whole project you both work on,\u201d founder Hala Maroc said. \u201cIt\u2019s become a really cool environment where magic happens.\u201d(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Maroc said she hopes to eventually franchise her co-working model to other underserved communities. For now, though, she\u2019s focused on \u201cmaking it count\u201d rather than simply \u201cmaking it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day it\u2019s like; how can we continue to be a pillar in our community? How can we help?\u201d she said. \u201cI really do feel like we have a hand in the economy of the North Shore in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Build A Dream Incubator is located at 4 Minthorne St. For more information visit: www.buildadream.nyc<\/a>. @buildadreamincubator<\/a> on social media. email\/call: Hala@buildadream.nyc<\/a> (347) 934-3513.<\/p>\n

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