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Home » About Vermont Tech » Enterprise Center |
Enterprise Center | | Welcome to the Vermont Tech Enterprise Center, the preferred location in central Vermont for businesses that want to grow! The Vermont Tech Enterprise Center is a business incubator specifically designed with flexible leases and a unique mix of space and services to support growth companies.
Our goal is to see our clients reach their goals. The essence of a business incubator is that we engage in a developmental relationship with our clients, where we go the extra mile on our clients' behalf. Through the resources of our own staff, the Vermont Small Business Development Center and Vermont Technical College, we'll get our clients the assistance they need. To that end we believe that the relationship with our tenants is based on good communication, and is very much one of give and take.
Enterprise Center Re-opens at Vermont Tech
The Vermont Tech Enterprise Center reopened its doors to Vermont businesses in July 2011, nearly two years after a fire destroyed the original building in November 2009.
Since that time, the college has been rebuilding on the footprint of the old building in Randolph Center, reclaiming its central Vermont location and accessibility to businesses all along the I-89 corridor. The new building has been built using sustainable building practices—something that’s a growing priority at Vermont Tech—like motion-sensor lighting and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning.
Most importantly, it has been set up as a true business incubator, ready to serve new businesses from Williston to White River Junction that are looking for an opportunity to expand at a reasonable cost.
“The purpose of an incubator,” according to Enterprise Center Director Steve Paddock, “is to assist early stage businesses by helping them remove barriers to growth.”
These barriers may vary widely depending on the business. Some entrepreneurs may have limited capital to launch their business, while others may be missing the professional network and expertise to help it grow. The center is specially designed to meet these needs on a number of levels. First, the physical space is set up with a company’s early needs in mind.
“It was built specifically for this purpose,” Paddock says. “The offices are designed so they can be adapted for a business to grow.” A member of the Enterprise Center can expand without having to move to a different location, simply by adding a connecting door to adjoining office space. Likewise, members have access to high-speed Internet service, copiers, meeting and conference spaces, video conferencing through Vermont Interactive Television, a hospitality area, and even the fitness center at Vermont Tech.
The center also has professional services to help fledgling businesses connect with mentors and grow their professional networks. Many of them are Vermont Tech outreach programs, like the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), which staffs the center and offers business consulting for members. The VtSBDC advisors also serve as a link between service providers and entrepreneurs around the state who are willing and able to support new businesses.
“We were looking for a program that would give us access to professions to help with the growth of our business,” says Dan Levy, owner of Green Mountain ERP, one of the center’s current residents. “With the completion of the new office space, we’ll have a better space to host clients and user meetings. And we hope to work more closely with the center in planning for our second year.”
The Enterprise Center is able to offer even more networking on a statewide level, thanks to informal affiliation with the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies in Chittenden County, and Lyndon State College’s Incubator Without Walls in the Northeast Kingdom. They also offer links through Vermont Tech’s other outreach programs, like the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center and the Technology Extension Division.
“It’s a resource that’s hard for young business owners to develop on their own,” Paddock says. “This really provides a bridge for them to see if they’re ready to move their business forward.”
For more information about the Vermont Tech Enterprise Center, contact Steve Paddock at (802) 728-9101 or visit vtc.edu > About Vermont Tech > Enterprise Center.
Our MissionThe Vermont Tech Enterprise Center will facilitate the growth of innovative and ambitious companies by providing them access to flexible space, business support services and networks. The Enterprise Center will be a visible contributor to economic development in central Vermont through tenant growth and job creation. It will be a primary source of support and assistance for early stage business growth in the region.
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