Community and business leaders across Northern Nevada gathered downtown at Adams Hub Wednesday night to celebrate the incubator’s new collaborative work space, The Studio.
About 30 plus guests attended the event, mingled, and toured the building’s expanded features.
Although the new office space, breaks rooms and an outside deck are guaranteed to provide comfort for local start-ups and other businesses, the mentorship classes will tie the community closer together in many ways. One of the biggest takeaways for businesses is the free support system the Hub provides, as a non-profit program.
“These new features are a game changer for Carson City,” said Matt Westfield, Adams Hub entrepreneur-in-residence and entrepreneurship instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno. “It is a new revolution for Northern Nevada and rural areas. We’re providing mentorship classes at no charge. More people will connect and we will help create more jobs with empowerment. Combine that all together and we are decreasing dependency in the gaming industry.”
The 1,500 square-foot facility took six to eight months to complete, Westfield said. It will be used to host classes, workshops and community events. The facility also will host many local collaborations, such as a new chapter of the Entrepreneurs Assembly and a closer partnership with the New Entrepreneur Network, or the NewE.
Some incubators require a fee for local organizations to use space, said Peggy Wynne Borgman, Community Curator of Adams Hub. But at the Hub, its free of cost.
Borgman has only been living in Carson City for five months, as she is originally from Monterey, Calif.
“Carson City has a small population but so much engagement,” Borgman said. “I am blown away by it. With this kind of dedication from the community, we want to serve them with the best assistance so they can succeed.”
Although Adams Hub has been a part of Carson City for about two years, the new expansion will bring more exposure.
“We are also bringing the community together by providing more room for our clients,” said Client Services Administrator Kat Therres. “When the road construction is finished, we will see even more of an increase.”
CREATING STATEWIDE CONNECTIONS
Lawrence Fagan, a software developer for Gym Insight, said he is interested in the Carson City community.
His company produces user-friendly marketing programs for fitness facilites, and is based in Las Vegas.
Fagan is a virtual member of Adams Hub since his company is no where near Carson City proximity.
However, distance doesn’t stop him from his involvement with the mentorship classes.
“This place has encouraged me to learn more about business,” he said. “We are open to learning about new ideas and strategies to apply to our company.”
Greg Evans, founder of LIMA3 Systems based in Minden, also agreed.
“The mentorship from Adams Hub will help our business with many marketing and financial strategies,” he said. “There are software companies across the state that are still in their early stages of development.”
Sandy Haslem, director of the Nevada Industry of Excellence is also a mentor at the Hub. Now that businesses across the state are looking to build business strategies at Adams Hub, she is excited to expand her classes with the new rooms.
“We have more flexibility now with larger groups,” she said. “That’s important to have with the manufacturers we have in the area.”
“It’s going to bring a positive vibe,” said William Harris, Business Sales of the Liberty Group of Nevada. “Especially in a surrounding area like the capital city. We have a great community with new roads coming together. It creates energy to work together and to collaborate.”
LEARNING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EVERYTHING
The goal of the Adams Hub is to provide mentorship classes with real-life scenario situations, and peer-to-peer support to help prepare business leaders, said Borgman.
“Each businesses goes through something,” she said. “We’re there to help and let them know that they are not alone.”
Some class topics cover how to build interpersonal relationships and communication with employees; how to read financial reports, and how to handle customer complaints and service recovery.
“We plan to have an ongoing series that cover these kinds of topics,” she said. “It’s about restoring the confidence.”
Some of the classes will feature collaborations with the Carson City Library. Director Sena Loyd will show attendees how to dig into databases and research demographics as a handy tool for local marketing. Other representatives from the library also will host the class.
“As library information professionals, we can provide details that many can’t find on Google,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to give back to the community as it is a great resource. We added new technology to the library a few years back and now, we can use those skills to give back at the Adams Hub.”
Although many of the classes are still under development, visit adamshub.com for updates.