By Heather Graves
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Chamber is extending its entrepreneurial reach with the launch of Urban Hub – a co-working space for entrepreneurs, small businesses and remote workers located in the heart of a growing downtown district.
“The Urban Hub gives people a home base in the urban core and allows them to have a presence downtown,” said Ron Franklin, Startup/Urban Hub manager.
Urban Hub will take over operations and management of the former T2 Accelerator, located at 340 N. Broadway within the Rail Yard Innovation District.
Organizers made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
“It’s a partnership that we are extremely excited about and it’s something we think will be great for the downtown community, as well as the entrepreneur community over all,” Franklin said.
Kelly Armstrong, vice president of economic development with the Greater Green Bay Chamber, said the space is open to entrepreneurs, corporations and companies of all sizes.
“You can sign up online, it’s super accessible, super easy, very user friendly,” Armstrong said. “We are really looking forward to the increased use of this space. It’s a beautiful co-working space. You can’t ask for better views overlooking the river. It’s an exciting time for downtown Green Bay.”
Franklin said there are many great services at Urban Hub – like high-speed Internet – giving companies an affordable option.
The open-space concept also lets people come and go as they please.
“We are now able to offer a full array of amenities to meet all potential new and growing business needs as well as the needs of the modern entrepreneur,” Franklin said. “It’s about offering even more opportunities, not only to entrepreneurs, but also to companies who have workers from outside the area who frequently visit here and need a high-end, high-quality, modern office space in the heart of the downtown without the expense.”
Mayor Eric Genrich said he is excited to see the continued development in the Rail Yard Innovation District.
“We are really starting to see things ramp up and come to curation,” Genrich said.
Genrich said it’s an exciting time for Green Bay and the launch of the Urban Hub is just another demonstration of the momentum the community has developed over the last few years.
“I think there is a ton of energy around entrepreneurial activity, and I think it’s really key for us to leverage that interest and that investment and to make it beneficial to the community at large in Greater Green Bay here,” he said.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach said this space allows the area to compete on a global perspective.
“To me, it’s a great fit of collaboration,” Streckenbach said. “Brown County, along with the City of Green Bay and our telecom partners, we’re helping with that small piece of infrastructure. Like highways, we build highways and people connect driveways to it to do business. This is no different. We are providing the high speed internet to allow this place to be a place where we can bring in that next generation of entrepreneur. Today’s success is around the fact that we are in the game globally.”
For more information on Urban Hub, contact Franklin at 920-496-2110 or visit, theurbanhub.org.