Small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs in Tempe have a new business resource center and coworking space in the community.
Located in the Tempe Public Library, which is at 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe, the Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) will host workshops to help small business owners as well as those considering starting new ones, provide business mentoring, and offer tools that benefit the bottom line.
[espro-slider id=198007]
Photos courtesy of the City of Tempe
A grand opening celebration will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 20 from 4:30-6 p.m. Music by Walt Richardson and a talk on the successful entrepreneurial journey of Dave Arnce, owner and founder of Cartel Brewery/The Shop Beer Co will be featured at the event. Mayor Mark Mitchell and the Tempe City Council will officially open BRIC for business at 5 p.m. RSVP by email to business@tempe.gov.
“Entrepreneurs and small businesses are vital to a sustainable economy,” Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell said. “Tempe is a city of great ideas. We want to empower our creative people to turn those ideas into successful businesses. Programs such as BRIC are important tools to help us accomplish this.”
Innovators and entrepreneurs are an important part of Tempe’s heritage and a vital part of our future. From the city’s earliest beginning, with Charles Trumbull Hayden opening a ferry and flour mill, through the current successes of companies like Sitewire, Picmonic, Four Peaks Brewery and Cartel Coffee, Tempe is known as the place to set up shop for success.
Businesses with fewer than 100 employees make up 42 percent of Tempe’s business landscape. More than 2,000 businesses in Tempe have fewer than 20 employees.
“These local businesses are the heart of our city. We want to help small businesses start, grow and thrive,” Tempe Economic Development Director Donna Kennedy said.
Staff at BRIC can help entrepreneurs find applicable incentives, connect with mentors and enroll in beneficial training programs. BRIC is also a friendly place where business-minded people can come to work on ideas and projects.
Often, fledgling companies need locations for meetings with potential investors, clients and suppliers. BRIC is available for those kinds of meetings, staff training, business events and more. The facility offers free Wi-Fi, a large conference room equipped with A/V presentation needs, large display screens, tables and chairs, whiteboards and more. The Connections Café in the library is a great place for coffee, snacks and lunch and it can even cater events at BRIC.
BRIC will also offer free workshops led by experts in subjects that business owners and managers can benefit from, such as finance, marketing, taxes, social media, attracting top talent, teen entrepreneurship, insurance, legal issues and more. ASU offers its Startup School at BRIC. One Million Cups offers networking opportunities every Wednesday.
