Another Washington County organization is reaching out to provide space for small businesses and startups.
Southpointe Chamber of Commerce is the latest to do so, unveiling Southpointe Chamber Business Center at a grand opening and ribbon cutting Thursday evening in the mixed-use park in Cecil Township.
“This is for people who are starting a small business or want to move into an affordable space,” said Don Hodor, founder and executive president of the chamber. The center is located at 125 Technology Drive, in Bailey Center I, one of the original buildings in the park.
Hodor said he and Rich Barcelona, owner of the Bailey Center building, were formulating plans for this enterprise before the pandemic arrived in March 2020. The project entails making affordable high-tech offices available, while providing support for the startup and small business entrepreneurs.
“With the pandemic hopefully coming to an end, we feel we can do this in an affordable way,” Hodor said.
“This can be kind of a bridge for a company. You can buy a $1,500 (per month) office in Southpointe or come here for $500 to $600 and get the amenities you want,” said Hodor, adding the amenities include office lock door, mailbox, phone, copier and WiFi.
“We are set up for 15 businesses, but can remodel and expand to 25 on one floor, the lower level. Because not all of the offices have windows, we have color cameras on the golf course and lake (across from Bailey Center), so you can still see outside.”
Southpointe Chamber will run the new business center, which, according to Hodor, is privately funded by Bailey Center and Southpointe Telecom Technology, an information technology company he owns in Bailey Center. He said tax dollars, government money and public grants are not being used.
Six companies have moved into the Southpointe center’s offices: Mike McCormick, G7 Networking; A Different Kind of Lobbyist; Eagle Eye Services (industrial panting); EV Proton Solutions; Grace & Truth Church; and Southpointe Telecom Technology.
At least two other county organizations have provided boosts to small businesses and startups over the past year or so: Ignite Business Incubator in Washington and CNX Resources in Southpointe.
Ignite was launched by Washington & Jefferson College in 2020, and opened for business – and businesses – on East Chestnut Street in June 2021. The co-working space there provides numerous amenities, depending on a business’ membership tier.
The incubator strives to help clients forge community relationships that can enable them to ramp up their operations. The Observer-Reporter in June related a story about Jessica Garda, who opened The Cheerful Balloon Studio & Gift Shop at Ignite in 2020.
She was able to link up with the Washington Business District Authority, which helped her find a location for her business – making balloon art for birthdays and other events. In June, Garda moved Cheerful Balloon into a spot on North Main Street in the city.
Such an occurrence is a boost for Shana Brown as well. Brown is the WBDA main street manager, whose duties include filling empty storefronts and reviving downtown Washington.
CNX announced in late May it wanted to invest $30 million to enhance communities throughout Appalachia through CNX Foundation, a nonprofit it established in July 2021.
That investment includes an outreach initiative, HQ at CNX, which is designed to provide co-working spaces where nonprofit, charitable, underserved and underrepresented organizations would have an opportunity to build their businesses.
The rental spaces are at CNX headquarters, 1000 Consol Energy Drive.
Interested organizations can become HQ members and select from three levels of services, and annual fees, that are based on amounts of space and amenities offered.
