By : Alex Ferreras
Source : http://www.loansafe.org
Category : Small Business Grant
(Source George Hohmann Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va. (MCT) — The small business incubator in the Charleston Area Alliance’s Smith Street headquarters building is expanding again.
The latest expansion adds 10 offices ranging from 164 to 483 square feet on the fourth floor. The newly finished space, totaling 3,600 square feet, has a flexible design so offices can be easily configured into various sized units as needed.
Energy efficiency was considered during every step of the build out, said Alliance Senior Vice President Mike Aeiker. Features include long-life light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting; a variable refrigerant flow system that allows each tenant to control the temperature in his or her office; and a solar thermal hot water system. Carpet tiles containing 45 to 60 percent recycled material were used on the floors.
The newly built-out space retains many significant architectural features of the original building, such as redbrick walls. Some ceilings are completely finished with tiles; others feature a “ceiling cloud” of tiles with an unfinished border that still reveals ductwork and the original ceiling.
Unlike incubator offices on other floors of the Alliance building, the fourth floor offices are painted in a variety of bright, bold colors. Glass blocks allow natural light in. Even interior offices have glass blocks so hallway light can penetrate.
“I see this being a community building — so many community events happen in this building,” Aeiker said. “We’re doing our best to make it as energy-efficient as possible.”
The latest expansion was funded with grants totaling $240,210 from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Governor’s Community Participation Fund.
Aeiker, who has overseen the daily operations of the incubator for the past 13 years, was the expansion project manager. ZMM Inc. of Charleston was project architect and Rodney Pauley headed that portion of the work. RC General Contractors of Charleston was the low bidder and was the general contractor.
The Business and Industrial Development Corp. or BIDCO, a successor to the Alliance, received a $1 million federal Economic Development Administration grant in 1986 to buy the building at 1116 Smith St.
The incubator opened in September 1986 and has gradually grown over the years. About two-thirds of the building’s 70,000 square feet of space is now devoted to office use. The Alliance occupies about 14,000 square feet on the first floor.
“With the completion of this project the Alliance and its predecessor, BIDCO, has invested almost $4 million using various grants, matching funds, loans and other funding,” Aeiker said.Unlike most commercial buildings, where public areas are kept to a minimum so rent income can be maximized, the Smith Street building has ample public space. There are conference rooms on every floor. All are available to tenants without additional charge. “That’s part of our effort to help start-up companies,” Aeiker said.
Howard Johnson, who got the incubator started, died last fall. “He always envisioned that this building would be completely renovated and utilized to create new business opportunities for the city,” Aeiker said. “He would be very proud of this project and how it turned out.”
Incubator space is rented on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information email Aeiker at HMAei…@charlestonareaalliance.org or call him at 304 340-4253.
Source : http://www.loansafe.org/small-business-incubator-expanding
Source : http://www.loansafe.org
Category : Small Business Grant
(Source George Hohmann Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va. (MCT) — The small business incubator in the Charleston Area Alliance’s Smith Street headquarters building is expanding again.
The latest expansion adds 10 offices ranging from 164 to 483 square feet on the fourth floor. The newly finished space, totaling 3,600 square feet, has a flexible design so offices can be easily configured into various sized units as needed.
Energy efficiency was considered during every step of the build out, said Alliance Senior Vice President Mike Aeiker. Features include long-life light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting; a variable refrigerant flow system that allows each tenant to control the temperature in his or her office; and a solar thermal hot water system. Carpet tiles containing 45 to 60 percent recycled material were used on the floors.
The newly built-out space retains many significant architectural features of the original building, such as redbrick walls. Some ceilings are completely finished with tiles; others feature a “ceiling cloud” of tiles with an unfinished border that still reveals ductwork and the original ceiling.
Unlike incubator offices on other floors of the Alliance building, the fourth floor offices are painted in a variety of bright, bold colors. Glass blocks allow natural light in. Even interior offices have glass blocks so hallway light can penetrate.
“I see this being a community building — so many community events happen in this building,” Aeiker said. “We’re doing our best to make it as energy-efficient as possible.”
The latest expansion was funded with grants totaling $240,210 from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Governor’s Community Participation Fund.
Aeiker, who has overseen the daily operations of the incubator for the past 13 years, was the expansion project manager. ZMM Inc. of Charleston was project architect and Rodney Pauley headed that portion of the work. RC General Contractors of Charleston was the low bidder and was the general contractor.
The Business and Industrial Development Corp. or BIDCO, a successor to the Alliance, received a $1 million federal Economic Development Administration grant in 1986 to buy the building at 1116 Smith St.
The incubator opened in September 1986 and has gradually grown over the years. About two-thirds of the building’s 70,000 square feet of space is now devoted to office use. The Alliance occupies about 14,000 square feet on the first floor.
“With the completion of this project the Alliance and its predecessor, BIDCO, has invested almost $4 million using various grants, matching funds, loans and other funding,” Aeiker said.Unlike most commercial buildings, where public areas are kept to a minimum so rent income can be maximized, the Smith Street building has ample public space. There are conference rooms on every floor. All are available to tenants without additional charge. “That’s part of our effort to help start-up companies,” Aeiker said.
Howard Johnson, who got the incubator started, died last fall. “He always envisioned that this building would be completely renovated and utilized to create new business opportunities for the city,” Aeiker said. “He would be very proud of this project and how it turned out.”
Incubator space is rented on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information email Aeiker at HMAei…@charlestonareaalliance.org or call him at 304 340-4253.
Source : http://www.loansafe.org/small-business-incubator-expanding
