Site chosen for Ypsilanti SPARK incubator
Ann Arbor SPARK goes east and finds and old building to house their new business incubator in the growing city of Ypsilanti. Of course, renovations are scheduled and should be up and incubating by the fall.
Ypsilanti may be the next big thing on the horizon in Southeast Michigan. With the influx of niche shops, art galleries, and new businesses in general, this other university town is getting its fair share of attention. It’s almost like a little brother, living for so long in the shadow of his older sibling, finally getting the spotlight.
Ann Arbor SPARK, an organization that strives to advance innovative business development in the Ann Arbor region, have seen the spotlight and are about to put down roots in Ann Arbor’s eastern neighbor.
SPARK already has two locations inside the city of Ann Arbor but they wanted to expand. With Ypsi growing and becoming more attractive to people and businesses alike, it’s a perfect fit for SPARK.
“We wanted to maximize the regions potential,” Mike Finney, president and CEO of SPARK, says. “And we wanted to maximize the potential of the eastern part of the county. Ypsilanti was the most logical spot.
“Their downtown environment,” he continues, “fits with our plan. And the city has a vibrancy here that will attract businesses.”
So, after months of talk, they have a home – a brick-and-mortar home to call their own.
SPARK has leased a building at 15 S. Washington St., a former furniture store that has been sitting vacant for 15 years.
“There needs to be some minor demolition in the building,” Finney says. “It’s old, moldy, has mildew, some water leakage, we need to make it handicap assessable, add bathrooms – we should have it ready by this fall.”
The renovations, Finney says, will probably file in at $350,000 to $400,000.
The Ypsi business incubator will have a few more features added to it that the Ann Arbor locations don’t. Finney says they’ll be supporting student businesses, getting into the high schools to help students develop a higher interest in entrepreneurship.
“This student business feature is a much more in depth way of cultivating younger students and keeping them here in the state by showing them the opportunities of entrepreneurship.”
The incubator will also share two large classrooms with the business department of Eastern Michigan University and will look to incorporate into the building their Michigan Innovation Equipment Depot program. This program is a collection of high quality, high value equipment that is donated to needy businesses that otherwise could not afford their stuff brand new. The equipment is already stored in a warehouse in Ypsi, but the hope is to bring it under one roof. Finney says this program has been a fantastic success, already helping nearly 150 companies.
“Our goal is to jumpstart Ypsi into a congregation of innovative businesses,” he says. “There are a lot of exciting businesses starting, a lot of activity, and we want Ypsilanti to be a magnet, brining them to the eastern part of the county.”
Source: Mike Finney, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK
Writer: Terry Parris, Jr.
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