Dan Bartlett, Valerie Woods, MAK & Mike Willett

Well, here we are!  Construction, or to be more accurate, demolition on our First Floor Renovation and Expansion began January 3, 2011.  Soon thereafter, we discovered that a cast iron boiler in the space sported the date January 3, 1911 - how cool is that???
 

This project has been in the planning stages for several years now and I feel fortunate to be working with several people who have been involved since the beginning.  Architect Dan Bartlett is a graduate of our Incubator Program - which will be tripling in size with this renovation.   John Baybutt of Baybutt Construction, which won the contract through a competitive bidding process, was active on our Building Committee since we purchased the building.  And Valerie Woods, now Project Manager for Baybutt, developed preliminary plans for the renovation as part of her Capstone Project while she was still a student at Keene State College.   Joining the crew is Site Supervisor Mike Willett and Hannah Grimes Center Coordinator Donna Weldon (not pictured).
 

We have raised $550,000 for this project and have about $220,000 to go.  Thanks to one and all who have supported the effort to date.  We are hoping that after about 4 months of construction, we will go from five to fifteen incubating offices.  So if you are pondering moving off of the kitchen table and into an environment that can help you grow your business - now is the time!  
 

We will also be creating a Nonprofit Center in the eight office spaces upstairs.  If you know of a nonprofit looking to start, downsize or move into an office, please be in touch.  Both locations offer a shared conference room, free broadband, a networked copier, and plenty of opportunities to innovate, connect and thrive.