创新中心

Kari Swirth shared a tip as she and Associate Professor of Economics 劳拉还08年 led students on a tour of Irontek one warm September afternoon. They should consider staying in the city of 贝洛伊特 after graduation, Swirth说, especially if they plan on starting a business or working for a startup.

斯沃思是18号的社区经理,000平方英尺Irontek, a shared workspace that opened in 2016 across the river from the college.

位于铁厂校园的中心, a bustling tech hub that’s home to about 20 small and large businesses, 约,000名员工, Stateline家庭基督教青年会, Irontek offers a variety of office and meeting spaces for startups, 自由职业者, 以及远程工作的专业人士.

原贝洛伊特公司铸造厂的一部分, Irontek的特色是巨大的窗户, 开放空间, 以及城市共享工作空间的氛围, 随着互联网的快速发展, 咖啡, 精酿啤酒, 和 chance to rub elbows with other entrepreneurs. 贝洛伊特’s Chamber of Commerce is one of the building’s anchor tenants.

离校园西侧只有几步之遥, 该设施可通过连接岩石河东西两侧的人行桥到达.

Grube has been familiarizing students with Irontek for the past four years. 她的第一次参观是参加她设计和教授的“第一年倡议”课程的一部分，课程内容是关于这座城市的工业历史和现在以伯洛伊特为家的公司.

“向学生们展示曾经是贝洛伊特公司的物理空间是如何成为一个寻求培育新业务的实体的，这很有趣, 具体地说, help transition 贝洛伊特 into the 21st century knowledge economy,格鲁伯说.

校友和学生关系

格鲁伯指的是Irontek如何利用旨在培育新企业和现有公司分支机构的项目来补充其工作空间——从廉价的共享办公桌到私人角落办公室. The goal is to help these organizations establish roots in the 贝洛伊特 region.

最值得注意的是gener8tor, a platform for the creative economy that connects startup founders, 投资者, 公司, 求职者, 大学, 音乐家, 和艺术家. Several of its national programs operate at Irontek, 包括Venture Studio, gener8tor在贝洛伊特的旗舰项目, 哪个是校友经营的 亚历克斯Iseri的11.

Iseri returned to 贝洛伊特 in 2020 to become managing director of Venture Studio, gener8tor风险投资部门的一部分, 在那些通常不会有创业公司的社区里，哪家公司在风险资本的支持下建立了创业公司. 伊塞里说，通过这样做, 该工作室帮助推动这些社区的经济发展，同时为投资者提供可观的回报. Venture Studio’s 16-week intensive program includes coaching, 指导, 获取资源, 还有100美元,股权投资.

“我相信，gener8tor的平台提供的价值与该国任何经济发展项目一样多,伊塞里说。. “它帮助社区投资于最好的, 最聪明的, 大多数雄心勃勃的人都有兴趣在他们的社区做出改变，并寻找一个伟大的合作伙伴.”

Irontek通过gener8tor提供其他程序, 太, 包括gALPHA, 一个免费的, four-week pre-accelerator program that helps potential startups refine a marketable idea. 另一个, gBETA, 还免费, 是一个为期七周的竞争加速器吗, 哪个项目一次只对五家公司开放. Irontek and Hendricks Commercial Properties sponsor gALPHA, gBETA, 和 Venture Studio.

到目前为止，已有六名伯洛伊特大学的学生参加了gAlpha，而两支大学团队完成了gBETA. 贝洛伊特大二 罗斯考虑 may be one of the youngest entrepreneurs ever to take advantage of these programs. He participated in gBETA at Irontek while still in high school, 然后作为伯洛伊特学院的学生完成了gALPHA.

在gBETA, 庞德负责给埃文特增压, a web-based company he founded that matches food trucks with venues and hosts. 它的客户包括将餐车作为员工福利带到公司的私营公司，以及将餐车作为娱乐活动一部分的大型公共活动.

“当时正值疫情高峰期,庞德说, 他补充说，加速器帮助他的公司进入了有潜力的新市场，而其他许多公司都被关闭了. “我们开始向医疗中心销售产品, 汽车工业, apartment complexes — places where people were still going,他说. “gBETA pushes you to see what’s possible and tweaks your business model. It’s put a nice ribbon on all the skills I’ve learned so far.”

庞德通过gALPHA加速器创办了另一家数字营销公司. He’s since pulled back from that enterprise to focus on college.

Irontek has another direct tie to the 贝洛伊特 alumni community. Isaac Bamgbose 13岁，在Hendricks商业地产开发的早期阶段为他们工作.

“Isaac was a major champion of the Irontek project,” says 85年布莱恩黑樱桃，主任 学院创业中心, adding that Bamgbose did most of the research and ran point on developing it. 学院董事会的前成员, 班博斯从此离开了, but his role as a fundamental force in developing Irontek continues to resonate in 贝洛伊特.

莫雷罗认为，Irontek是对学院注重创新和创业精神的有力补充，也是校友可以回归的地方, possibly after logging a couple of years in the workforce.

“教授创业思维和创业的基本技能是CELEB的关键成果,他解释道, referring to 学院创业中心. ”,, 当一个学生或, 最有可能的, 我们的一个毕业生, is ready to scale a business or commercialize an idea, Irontek是迈出下一步的理想场所.”

起源故事和伙伴关系

在最初的生活中，铁厂校园是一个生产造纸机械的嗡嗡作响的工厂. 最初被称为铁厂, 然后是伯洛伊特公司, 它在鼎盛时期雇佣了数千人. 1999年关闭时, 这个占地24英亩的工业基地面临着一个不确定的未来:要么被摧毁，要么重新开始.

Irontek的一些工作空间由集装箱改造而成，配备了额外的通风设备和滑动玻璃门.
来源:导演摄影Fortunately for 贝洛伊特, it would not stay quiet for long, nor would it disappear. 就在关闭后的几年, 总部位于伯洛伊特的亨德里克斯开发公司通过购买和重新设计该场地开始了复兴. 仅仅五年之后, Irontek, as a central part of the larger Ironworks development, has taken off as a regenerative force in the region.

铁铁也是一个好邻居. 此外，还为学生提供了一个观察创业和自主创业的场所, its reason for being connects with the college’s existing career-ready programs. 职业生涯通道, 职业工作, 以社区为基础的学习, and CELEB all guide students toward fulfilling lives and careers after 贝洛伊特, and Irontek and its tenants are providing examples and opportunities.

格鲁伯教授表示:“Irontek提供学生可以参加的活动，包括gBETA创业之夜。. “The businesses that operate out of Irontek present opportunities for job shadowing, 实习, 和就业. 我很高兴地看到一些伯洛伊特学院的校友接受了在Irontek设有办事处的公司的全职工作.”

杰西卡Fox-Wilson 98, who directs the college’s 职业工作 office, also sees Irontek as an excellent partner. 从2016年夏天开始, 7名学生已正式注册在Irontek或其常驻公司实习, 她说，还有一些学生在那里实习，但没有将他们的经历正式计入学分.

福克斯-威尔逊指出，除了实习之外, 虽然, Irontek tenants like Brownfield Environmental Engineering, gener8tor, gBETA, and others — including Irontek itself — are stepping up to support students in other ways. For example, they participate in two key college programs: 职业生涯的加速器, 一系列工作坊, 面板, and networking opportunities for students held over eight days in January, 和 本地到全球职业网络博览会该活动每年11月在校园内举行.

Just walking through the doors of Irontek is exhilarating. 充满活力的工作空间充满了活力, 向学生招手, 教师, 工作人员, and people in the community to energize their remote work, be part of a productive community while working solo, or join a company with space in one of the most contemporary workplaces in the region.

“Irontek的设施真实地反映了21世纪工作场所的工作和沟通方式,福克斯-威尔逊说.

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苏珊·卡斯滕 is the editor of 十大菠菜台子 Magazine.

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值得关注的人物

  Alex Iseri ' 11, Venture Studio董事总经理

来源:格雷格·安德森Alex Iseri’s boomerang 贝洛伊特 journey began with a political science degree, 通过和平队穿越尼加拉瓜, then returned to 贝洛伊特 at one of the city’s game-changing new employers: Irontek.

伊塞里赞扬了十大菠菜台子的教师, especially political science professors Ann Davies and Georgia Duerst-Lahti, 告诉他学习的方法. 作为Venture Studio的总经理, 当他了解新的行业和趋势，帮助客户解决问题时，他会定期利用这些策略, 开拓新市场, 并取得突破.

从伯洛伊特大学毕业后，他在为美国志愿队工作时发现了自己对社区和经济发展的兴趣, then earned a master’s degree in international development. 他通过和平队在尼加拉瓜寻求经济发展，并在密歇根州上半岛经营一家小型经济发展非营利组织，然后于2020年10月回到贝洛伊特经营工作室.

他说:“我工作的本质就是尽一切可能帮助创始人取得成功。. “Almost by definition, a lot of what they are trying to do is brand new. It doesn’t exist in the market, or if it does, it’s not well-defined. You feel like you’re breaking new ground with them.”

  贾伦·庞德，24岁，学生企业家

来源:Nico Doret ' 24罗斯考虑 carries a card in his wallet with his goals written on it. 那一小张纸说明了他所做的每一件事都具有钢铁般的决心和实践的智慧.

The 贝洛伊特大二 has already started and run numerous businesses, including his very first — at the tender age of 11. 作为一个在底特律长大的孩子，他会在一元店寻找便宜的东西. He’d repackage them thematically, then sell them for profits on e-Bay. 他的目标一点也不自私，尽管他承认提出这个想法完全是为了赚钱. He was aiming to raise funds to help his aunt cover some medical bills.

现在，他经营着一家网络公司Evendtor，帮助向潜在客户推销食品卡车. 他不确定他最终的专业, 但是去年秋天, 他正在学习创业课程, and he’s completed both the gALPHA and gBETA accelerators at Irontek.

他接受了经营企业的挑战，并希望找到一种方法，将自己的努力指向一个利他的方向, 要么帮助解决气候变化问题，要么帮助贫民区的孩子们建立信心, 或两个.

庞德显然是一个值得关注的人. “I don’t want to die with anything inside me,他说 with conviction. “我想永远在那里，尽我所能做到最好. 我要争取第一名.”