FOUNDER & OWNER
JENNIFER THOEMKE
Jennifer Thoemke is founder and CEO of Connects Workspace and Managing Member of Cafe 13. She is a Colorado native with over 25 years of leadership experience ranging from non-profit, small business and Corporate America. In June 2015, she opened Connects Workspace, a 3000 square foot coworking space in Golden, Colorado and has since expanded to 15,000 square foot of coworking space and over 200 members. Connects Workspace has been a staple in the business community of Golden and won 2019 Business of the Year for the Golden Chamber of Commerce. In June 2018, Jen purchased Cafe 13, neighbor to Connects Workspace. Through this opportunity she has been able to bring the love of creating community to Golden as a whole.
Spending twelve years in the mortgage industry before opening Connects Workspace established Jennifer as a strong, passionate, energetic leader who loves a challenge and seeks creative solutions to help others succeed. Ending her mortgage career as the Vice President of Secondary Marketing, Jennifer carried Pinnacle Mortgage Group from single loan sales to building a 500 million dollar mortgage portfolio, creating an income stream that placed Pinnacle in a position for a Fortune 500 Company to purchase the portfolio and company.
Volunteerism is a priority of Jennifer’s: she is on the board of Neighborhood Rehab Project, a part of the leadership team of Hillside Community Church, a member of Women Presidents’ Organization and President of Golden Women in Business.
Jennifer’s biggest passion is her growing family, which includes Dan, her husband of 28 years, four adult children and two grandchildren. On the weekend you will most likely find her throwing a party or inviting family and friends to hang out.
COO
KATE HUBBARD
Kate’s passionate about bringing people together and building communities through both coworking & food. After several years in corporate engineering, she realized her love of creative problem-solving and creating new experiences was meant for local business. Kate grew up in the Rockies, moved around the country, and knew she was home once she discovered Golden and wandered into Connects. Outside Connects, she’s fixing up a 120-year-old Clear Creek miner’s cabin with her partner, Kirk; hiking with their dog, Scout; or hanging out on the patio at any of Golden’s amazing local breweries.
COMMUNITY SPECIALIST
AMANDA MCCARTHY
Amanda is a proud New Englander who has just recently arrived in Golden. She chose her new home based on one simple thought - where does her soul feel most alive? So here she is. Her life looks a lot like: loving on all of my houseplants, indulging in mountains of ice cream, and diving into deep conversations about horses’ facial expressions.
COMMUNITY MANAGER
JUDY MAXWELL
Judy Maxwell has worked for Coors Brewing Company, Abbott Laboratories and Ricoh. Her background is in Organization Development with a focus on Leadership & Team Development, Process Improvement, and Customer Satisfaction. Judy designs experiential learning workshops. The workshops allow participants to walk through processes and develop steps that will support in bringing about positive changes in their lives.
CMO
COURTNEY WAINWRIGHT
Courtney Wainwright grew up in Golden and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins and graduated with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Business Administration in December 2017. Courtney has been with Connects since March 2018 and enjoys the connections she makes on a daily basis. When Courtney is not at Connects, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her son, and their two Golden Retrievers.
CONNECTS IN THE NEWS
October 15, 2019
"...Same, too, with Connects Workspace, which opened in Golden in 2015. Founder and Golden native Jennifer Thoemke said she focused on being a community asset, kept her business in the black and helped tenants who outgrew the space find a larger one."

The Colorado Sun
Online News Outlet Based in Denver, Colorado
March 8, 2019
Jennifer Thoemke was nominated for the "Shattered Glass Award" celebrating women who have broken the glass ceiling in their professional careers, shattered records, cracked a new code of discovery, or otherwise just rocked the world – true agents of positive change.

IX Power Foundation
JeffCo Int'l Women’s Day
March 6, 2016
A Golden entrepreneur doesn’t think Boulder should have the lock on small business incubators.

BusinessDen
Amy DiPierro
August 11, 2015
Business owner changes careers, launches new venture in Golden.

Golden Transcript
Christy Steadman
March 20, 2019
Are you a business or nonprofit looking to connect? Jennifer Thoemke of Connects Workspace and other local business owners discuss their approaches to corporate philanthropy and collaboration with Golden nonprofits.

City of Golden
Community & Economic Development Commission
February 20, 2019
We talk to owner Jen Thoemke about her Café 13 story as well as get a preview of the awesome things to come post renovation!

Visit Golden
VisitGolden.com
February 18, 2016
Traxion, a new accelerator aimed at startups in the energy sector, has opened in Golden's historic armory building.

Denver Business Journal
Monica Mendoza
June 24, 2015
Connects Workspace is not just office space: We provide our members support to help grow their business or nonprofit. We believe in giving back to our community through volunteerism.

The Denver Post
Newsroom
March 18, 2019
We’re thrilled to announce that on April 2nd, 2019 we are launching Basecamp Jeffco at Connects Workspace in Golden, Colorado.

Women Who Startup
Christina Schultz
October 3, 2017
Traxion has supported Golden companies in the early stages of development, to accelerate their growth and job creation.

City of Golden
Marjorie Sloan
February 2, 2016
Jen Thoemke accepts the Civic Award for her business, Connects Workspace, a shared-office concept that works as a small business accelerator.

Golden Transcript
John Tracy
June 10, 2015
Connects Workspace provides a place where the entrepreneur, independent worker, corporate refugee or non-profit leader can connect, receive support, and experience community.

Golden Today
Barb Warden