Biz Foundry’s hip, new downtown space progressing
By Amye Anderson
UCBJ Managing Editor
COOKEVILLE – The to-do list to finish the site of The Biz Foundry’s new Entrepreneur Center and Co-work Space still has plenty of items yet to be checked off but the facility is taking shape and is on track for its Nov. 16 grand opening.
The new space will offer less square footage but will be located in the city’s bustling historic West Side district.
“When we started looking a few months ago, we wanted to go downtown,” Jeff Brown, President of The Biz Foundry, said. “We get to ‘cool up’ our location a little bit.”
The new facility, located at 114 Cedar Ave., will be within walking distance to some of Cookeville’s biggest draws including West Side eateries, Cream City, a variety of microbreweries, just to name a few.
With the help of a new, updated facility, The Biz Foundry also aims to further attract and retain younger, tech-minded entrepreneurs in the area.
“These kinds of spaces are very important to that crowd,” Brown said. “They like co-working spaces, they like innovation spaces, they like the vibe as much as anything.
“This is going to be much more community-based than where we are now.”
The new location is only about half a mile away from the current location and is still near Tennessee Tech University’s campus, where the group runs several different programs.
Once complete, the new facility will offer a mix of private offices and collaborative, co-working workspaces, with two private conference areas to seat groups as small as four or as large as 15 or so people.
There will also be a soundproof, controlled space where members can shoot videos and photos of their products – they’ll also be able to utilize on-site cameras, computers and editing software to perfect their images and media.
While final finish selections are still being decided, Brown says the new building will have an industrial-meets-modern feel with eclectic touches throughout; including Edison bulb light fixtures, repurposed salvaged barn wood-lined walls, and, of course, the latest technology musts like fast internet, TVs, and projection capabilities.
“We’ll have complete teleconferencing in both of the conference rooms,” Brown added.
For the last four years, The Biz Foundry has been using space lent to the group by Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
The Biz Foundry is a non-profit, 501(c)3 entrepreneur center located in Cookeville aimed at helping small business start-ups.
The grand opening for the group’s new location is slated for Nov. 16.
