ANDERSON — The Flagship Enterprise Center East left a good impression on the mayors of Richmond and Muncie during a recent visit to the facility.
Corey Sharp, director of the Purdue College of Technology Anderson, said since the facility opened in January there has been an interest from other municipalities and organizations interested in developing similar maker space operations.
Sharp said both Muncie and Richmond are looking at such projects in their communities with some involvement from Purdue University.
A maker space is described as a collaborative work space for making, learning, exploring and sharing.
New Harmony in southern Indiana is also interested in creating a maker space, Sharp said after a three-day visit to that community.
“What impressed me was how makers and other programs that are part of the Purdue Polytechnic programming work together in an environment that encouraged opportunities for each and everyone involved,” Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler said. “The culture of openness and people working together to accomplish completely different goals.”
Tyler said he was also inspired by the excitement and encouragement that people were proving to each other.
“There were a lot of things that impressed me,” Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said. “There is a lot of potential impact for the community in the maker space.”
Snow said he is excited to see this type of development taking place in Indiana.
What surprised Snow was the type of manufacturing equipment that was available in the facility.
“Access to that equipment by people at the entry level at a central location will change the future for our state,” Snow said.
Tyler said Muncie is working on the development of a maker space called Madjax that has been operating for two years, though a Muncie resident has filed a civil lawsuit opposing Muncie's plan to loan $4.5 million to the Madjax project.
Snow said he sees the need for a maker space in Richmond.
“I want to make sure we’re not duplicating what is available an hour away,” he said. “I can see a network of resources that will be available in the region.”
Tyler said he hopes the region works together to encourage start-up companies.
“If we choose not to we’re not working in our city’s best interest to attract talent and entrepreneurs,” he said.
Snow said the Midwest is entering the digital age and Indiana could become a hub for entrepreneurs.
“Our location on the border with Ohio gives us a big advantage,” he said. “We can attract people from the east and west.”
The nature of what is done at Purdue Polytechnic Anderson fits well with maker space, Sharp said.
“They were very impressed and I think it clicked with them that this is the future of technology and innovation,” he said. “That innovation happens with entrepreneurs and innovators, it can happen with students. It can happen with someone working in their garage and who needs some help which is the value of the maker space.”
Sharp said the Anderson facility is using the best practices developed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which has a large maker apace.
“We have been using them as a benchmark in terms of operations and during this process we made some connections with people in Grand Rapids,” he said.
Sharp said a new organization, Indiana Makers Network, is based in Kokomo.
“There is a lot of interest in the Anderson facility,” he said. “The Anderson Maker Space is unique because it’s the only one in the state in a partnership with Purdue. We talked about how our maker space is more impactful to the community because of the tie-in with Purdue.”
Sharp said representatives from the Anderson facility is hoping to visit maker space operations in Indianapolis, Detroit and Columbus, Ohio.
“The Detroit Maker Space is community driven and watching what is happening in Anderson,” he said.