Grand opening of Hammond INnovation Center is Thursday (4/24)

The Hammond INnovation Center, a high tech, small business incubator, will hold  a grand opening of its renovated, new downtown facility at 5209 Hohman Ave., Thursday (4/24) at 10 a.m. An open house will follow until noon.

In partnership with the City of Hammond and Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., Purdue Calumet is managing and operating the INnovation Center. Designed to support small, fledgling, start-up technology-related businesses, the 8,200 square feet facility has accommodations for 14 clients and several affiliate clients.

The concept of business incubators is that of providing space, phone, computing and other support services, as well as professional mentoring, consulting and counseling to enable business owners to focus exclusively on developing and growing their business.

“Smaller, start-up businesses that need neither a lot of space, nor wet labs and research and development facilities are ideal for the Hammond INnovation Center,” Executive Director Gregory Boyan said. “Our plan is to coach, guide and oversee our clients. They also will benefit from the expertise of Purdue Calumet faculty members and the labor of Purdue Calumet students, who will apply their classroom and textbook learning in experientially beneficial, hands-on ways.”

Boyan added, “The ultimate goal is that within a three-year period, these businesses will have developed and matured enough to move out of the INnovation Center and set out on their own in a permanent location, hopefully, in and around Hammond.”

Though INnovation Center start-up costs are being provided by a $1.15 million Indiana Economic Development Corp. Technology Development Grant acquired by the City of Hammond, Boyan anticipates that the incubator eventually will be self-supporting.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting Boyan at 219/989-2100, 219/713-2069 or gboyan@calumet.purdue.edu

News Release Date: April 21, 2008