The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce announced today that they are partnering to develop a new Innovation Hub in a building that the Chamber of Commerce is acquiring on the Fayetteville downtown square.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said in a news release that this type of partnership signals that “Arkansas is fast becoming the ‘innovation state.'”
“I applaud this new partnership between the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce’s newly created NWA Innovation Hub for joining forces to better serve start-up businesses in Central and Northwest Arkansas,” Governor Hutchinson said, “This is the type of partnership that links our state geographically, economically and intellectually.”
“The Chamber’s new maker space and Innovation Hub, in partnership with the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, is clear evidence of the growing entrepreneurial education opportunities and resources being created in our state,” said Steve Clark, President and CEO of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. “Our partnership with the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub will only make the Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas innovation ecosystem stronger and further elevate the innovation culture throughout Arkansas.”
The new Innovation Hub in Fayetteville will be located on the main downtown square at 21 West Mountain Street, which is being acquired by the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. The building will have 4,500 square feet of space dedicated to the Innovation Hub and its Launch Pad maker space. All current tenants, such as Tiny Tim’s Pizza and Jammin’ Java, will remain in their current places.
The Hub will have facilities and programming comparable to those already established at the Innovation Hub’s main headquarters in North Little Rock. This includes the Launch Pad maker space, the Silver Mine entrepreneurial co-working and incubation space, the STEAM Lab classroom and the Art Connection program.
The first phase of the new Innovation Hub will be the Launch Pad maker space on the lower floor of the renovated building. The new facility will include 3-D printers, CnC machines and other equipment for rapid design and prototyping. The Innovation Hub will direct the creation of the new space and assist with the development and implementation of the programming there.
Opening of the Launch Pad maker space is expected in the first quarter of 2016.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to work with the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce to bring our facilities and programs to Northwest Arkansas,” said Warwick Sabin, executive director of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. “Our mission is to extend access to entrepreneurial education and resources across the state, and this new partnership with the Fayetteville Chamber is a major step forward in that direction.”
“When we are working together, there is nothing Arkansas cannot do,” Clark said.