Artist rendering courtesy Current Blend; The open floor plan of a collaborative workspace is designed to bring entrepreneurs with different skillsets under one roof.
HUNTINGBURG — A group of local business owners is opening up a shared workspace in downtown Huntingburg in hopes it will drive more business, attract new talent to the region and make it easier for local entrepreneurs to flourish in the county.
Current Blend, a new nonprofit organization, announced its intentions to create the county’s first collaborative workspace on May 1 at an event this morning. The event was held in the space’s future location at 307 E. Fourth St in the historic Parker House.
The public can get a preview look of the facility on April 18.
The idea for a shared workspace really started to gain traction about six months ago, Current Blend president Brenda Stallings said. “A group of us got together and thought, you know, we need a space.”
That group includes Stallings, president and CEO of Matrix Integration; Jenny Neff, president of In Form Design; Terri Hollinden, vice-president of Talent at STIMULUS Engineering; Ed Cole, president of Dubois Strong; Ray Niehaus, director of Vincennes University Campus Center of Technology, Innovation and Manufacturing; Matt Crane, owner of Dubois County Free Press; and Josh Premuda, owner of Smalley Coffee.
The open floor plan of a collaborative workspace is designed to bring entrepreneurs with different skillsets under one roof to promote interaction and business development. Current Blend will feature modern, open-concept furniture through a partnership with OFS Brands and the Menke family in Huntingburg.
Current Blend will allow 24-hour secure access to work, meet and collaborate to dues-paying members in the historic Parker House next to the Stellar Community project, Market Street Park. The space will feature high-speed WiFi, a copier/printer/fax machine, presentation equipment, meeting spaces and bottomless cups of Indiana-roasted coffee.
Through partnerships with Old National Bank and the City of Huntingburg, larger meeting spaces and training areas will also be available to Current Blend members .
Additionally, Stallings said Current Blend will host meet-ups and classes for the continued support and development of new business startups and existing businesses in the region.
As a nonprofit, Current Blend will ask for membership dues to help cover its overhead costs, such as the lease, office supplies and coffee. Stallings said it is unclear at this time if the facility will have full-time or part-time employees on site. Dues are $7 for a daily pass, $15 for a weekly pass or $50 a month gets you access 24/7 all month long.
“Our goal as a nonprofit is to sustain ourselves,” Stallings said.
Grow Dubois County, a nonprofit formed to work in conjunction with Dubois Strong to support economic initiatives in the county, awarded Current Blend a $12,000 grant to assist with the startup costs and ongoing operation of the workspace.
“Current Blend has the right leadership in place to make this collaborative working space an energetic center for new and experienced entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Alan Johnson, dean of VUJC and board member of Grow Dubois County and Dubois Strong. “The board members have great experience in technology and have created a vision that will serve our region well. I expect to see the building pulsing as the members bounce ideas off each other.”
More information is available at the group’s website, currentblend.org, including floor plans and photos of the space. Interested individuals can sign up on the site.
“Current Blend makes it easy for entrepreneurs to leave the confines of their home offices and local coffee shops. By bringing these people together in this new space, entrepreneurs will be able to mingle their ideas and talents to create the next local startup,” Stallings said. “This is where their story can begin and Current Blend will be there to support them.”
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