(Council Bluffs) Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation is developing an entrepreneurial Hub at 40-Arena Way in Council Bluffs.
Niki Ferguson, Manager of Entrepreneurial Development at Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation, says the State-of-the-art facility is designed with small businesses and entrepreneurs in mind. The facility includes traditional co-working private offices, virtual suites, meetings, huddles, and classroom space.
Ferguson says the hub will also house test market space for emerging food and retail entrepreneurs, access to service providers, mentors’ events, and education- all key components to validate, launch and grow their business.
Ferguson says the importance of small business and startup development has been the focus of an unofficial task force formed by the Iowa West Foundation in 2017. The objective was to assess the entrepreneurial ecosystem with a mission of filling gaps, removing silos, and connecting resources to ensure that Southwest Iowa is a vibrant and welcoming community for small business and entrepreneurial development.
The location at 40-Arena Way is ideal for the entrepreneurial hub due to easy interstate access, abundant parking, and walkability to entertainment and established neighbors. With Google’s recent announcement (and seed gift) committing $250,000 to Advance for the build-out costs of the entrepreneurial hub, Advance’s team will now fully launch their official fund development campaign with the goal of the facility opening in late Q1 2024.
