River Heights Chamber Opens Small Business "Incubator"

Creating a successful small business is an uphill battle, but the River Heights Chamber of Commerce hopes that its new, Small Business Incubation space will make the fight a little easier.

Located in the Chamber’s office building on Blackshire Path in Inver Grove Heights, the roughly 650-square-foot space has an array of business-friendly amenities and can be rented out by fledging businesses that don't have the resources for their own office space, but need to grow, Chamber President Jennifer Gale said.

In return for paying approximately $600 a month to lease the space, an entrepreneur gets a fully-furnished office space and reception area, access to wireless Internet, use of a conference room, an LCD projector and a flat screen TV.

The office space is insured and has a security system in place, Gale said, and entrepreneurs who move into the space can also use a color copier and postage machine if they pay a small usage fee.

Gale got the idea for the incubation space after visiting the Austin Chamber of Commerce earlier this year and seeing their business incubation center in action. She hopes the River Heights Chamber of Commerce’s incubation space will serve as an intermediary step for emerging businesses and facilitate their growth.

“I think there’s quite a bit of space between the time you start your business out of the home or wherever, and can actually afford the resources to be an independent business,” Gale said.

And if a budding entrepreneur has any questions on business management? Established business owners who are members of the Chamber of Commerce will be on hand to provide support and consultation services for businesses participating in the incubator, Gale said.

The space is currently occupied by local business Financial Sync, which will soon be striking out on its own in an independent office space, Gale said. Small businesses looking to locate in the space will be limited to an 18-month lease, she added.

Inver Grove Heights Community Development Director Tom Link believes the incubator will provide a helpful service to the local business community—and could facilitate economic growth.

“To be able to have the support services … would be a major benefit to someone who’s trying to get their business off the ground,” Link said. “Communities that are interested in economic development are always looking for that growth, and a successful small business is an important way of achieving that growth,” Link said.

Interested in learning more? Contact the River Heights Chamber of Commerce at 651-451-2266.