The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Bridgerland’s new entrepreneurship and innovation center on their west campus. The ceremony was led by Mark Alexander, the director of the entrepreneurship and innovation center.
Alexander explained what the purpose of this new center is.
“Its purpose is to help a small business grow, whether it's a startup business or a business that's already going, that needs some third-party advice that's not biased in any way. Whether it's to help them prep their business for sale or merge. The idea is to help Cache Valley's business economy continue to grow,” Alexander said.
This center includes spaces people or companies can rent, including individual incubator offices and a shared-space office. It also has an innovation lab with a 3D printer, laser cutters, sewing machines, a classroom for instruction, a photo and videography lab, and a kitchen available to those starting businesses in food.
Sean Miller, the economic development director for Cache County, spoke about the economic impact of this center and how important this center is for building businesses.
“It typically gets applied to childhood that it takes a village to raise a child, right? But really, it doesn't stop there. It takes a village and a community and a sense of camaraderie to build a successful business climate,” Miller said.
There are also plans for phase two for this center. Troy Christensen, Bridgerland’s vice president for economic development shared that the college has purchased a building across the street from their west campus. They plan on filling that building with the entrepreneurship and innovation center.
Alexander emphasized that this center is open to anyone in the valley who has a business idea or is already starting a business.
“Folks should feel welcome here, whether their English is a second language, whether they're new to the valley, they should feel welcome to come in here we welcome all," Alexander said.
