Ignite boosts businesses through community partnerships
Opposite page: Adam Cross presenting his latest product as part of a legislative session at Ignite with Pa. State Rep. Tim O’Neal (bottom left) and Ignite board member and Vice President of Business Development with Innovation Works, Bob Starzynski (bottom right). Cross is the owner and founder of RC Bash Co.
Courtesy of Lauren LaGreca
Ignite Director and W&J College Associate Professor Max Miller. Miller is welcoming all to the Ideas 2 Enterprise awards reception, recognizing all participants graduating from the February 2022 cohort.
Courtesy of W&J College
Left: Christine Coyle, a graduate of the Ideas 2 Enterprise 2019 cohort and a grant winner, started the What About STEAM program to support education in Washington. Coyle teaches classes at Ignite.
Courtesy of Lauren LaGreca
Above: Jessica Garda moved her business The Cheerful Balloon from Ignite to Main Street in less than a year.
Courtesy of Lauren LaGreca
Since it opened more than a year ago, Ignite has been able to forge community partnerships that help its clients elevate their businesses.
Ignite, located at 57 E. Chestnut St., is a business incubator opened by Washington & Jefferson College in June 2020. The co-working space offers a wide range of amenities depending on your membership tier.
Jessica Garda was among the first to make use of Ignite, particularly with one of their maker spaces. Garda started The Cheerful Balloon in 2020, making balloon art for birthdays and events.
Next month, The Cheerful Balloon will be opening a brick-and-mortar location at 50 N. Main St. in Washington. Through Ignite, Garda was able to connect with the Washington Business District Authority to help find her business’ new home.
“When it was time for them to take a leap into a brick-and-mortar storefront, I was able to plug them into a perfect spot on Main Street and help continue their thriving business. This symbiotic relationship is what Washington and Ignite are all about,” said Shana Brown, WBDA main street manager.
Like all of Ignite’s partnerships, its relationship with WBDA is one born out of a confluence of interests.
Brown’s priority is filling empty storefronts and revitalizing Washington’s downtown area, while Ignite wants to bolster and support businesses so they can move into those storefronts.
“As they start to look at filling out some of the storefronts and being real strategic about what’s located in which blocks … That can shape our thinking,” said Max Miller, director of Ignite and an associate professor at W&J.
“We have the flexibility here, programmatically, to be able to focus on select categories of businesses if we have to. If there is a push for food businesses, certainly we’re going to do all that we can to help them build out their plans for the food business.”
Lauren LaGreca, the manager of Ignite, was recently appointed to the WBDA’s board.
“We’re an element within the ecosystem of revitalization and development,” LaGreca said.
Ignite also works with the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington when it comes to helping entrepreneurs in taking the next steps with their businesses.
Miller called RACW Executive Director Robert Griffin “an untiring advocate” for Ignite’s efforts.
The redevelopment authority works closely with the Ignite team, the City of Washington and WBDA to assist in connecting businesses with space that fits their needs.
“It is these partnerships that help fuel the type of growth and improvements we all want to see in our business districts and communities,” Griffin said. “W&J has stepped up in a big way by establishing the Ignite business incubator in the city’s business district. It is a significant investment that is already producing great results, and the redevelopment authority is pleased to be a partner in supporting the growth of small businesses in the community.”
The Cheerful Balloon is not the only business that has made the leap from Ignite to brick-and-mortar. Jen Lucas was able to set up Yang + Yin Health Sound Studio at 117 W. Pike St. in Canonsburg.
Brian Coleman opened Better Performance Physical Therapy in Waynesburg at 271 Shadow Oaks Lane.
While the Ignite team and their partners are helping businesses get established, Ignite also focuses on the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Miller and LaGreca said W&J students have taken advantage of the space, and Miller even teaches a course in one of the conference rooms.
Ignite is also hoping to help high school students through a partnership with Real World Scholars, a nonprofit that helps teach kids business skills.
“With a real-world approach of entrepreneurship and workforce readiness through our experiential learning programming, students are collaborating and communicating together to start and run a real business. That brings into play so many opportunities for authentic connections to what’s happening in the world beyond school walls,” said Christen Dunn, a special project manager for the organization.
LaGreca said students in the program would be able to visit Ignite, pitch business ideas and get feedback on those ideas.
“We’re being very intentional about the next generation of entrepreneurs and supporting the nontraditional path for students that perhaps have the entrepreneurial mindset,” LaGreca said.