There is a movement growing in Dayton — one that arguably began with the Wright Brothers around the turn of the 20th century. But instead of just two brothers with a dream, this 21st century movement in the heart of downtown represents a diverse ecosystem of hundreds of people who could spark innovations far beyond a singular invention.
The Hub Powered by PNC Bank launched earlier this year at the Dayton Arcade with a mission to bring together a diverse community to foster creativity, growth and entrepreneurship. It does so by offering coordinated and centralized resources for the region's entrepreneurs, innovators, builders, creators, inventors, students and teachers.
Walking into the building off South Main Street, the energy is palpable.
"There's a vibe and there's an energy that you just don't get anywhere else," said Vince Lewis, president and operating manager of The Hub, and director of the University of Dayton's Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership — an anchor tenant of the facility. "It's an incredible thing to see, especially given the long road to get to this point."
That road started back in 2015, when Lewis first met with the Arcade's primary developer, Cross Street Partners. Two years later the project began in earnest when Lewis and UD President Eric Spina had a conversation about becoming an anchor tenant at the Arcade. Now, The Hub is fully functional with over 80 member companies employing around 150 people, along with 72 private offices used by various individuals and organizations. And that doesn't even include the hundreds of students who will descend upon the Arcade for classes and other activities when the new school year begins in late August.
"It's grown exponentially faster than what I expected," Lewis said. "That traction has been extremely positive, and it's very exciting to see."
The second founding member and anchor tenant is The Entrepreneurs Center, which had a similar mission to The Hub when it was founded 20 years ago in Dayton. TEC President Scott Koorndyk said there are both similarities and differences between what they are doing at The Hub versus what they had been doing over the last two decades.
"It's similar in the sense that The Entrepreneurs Center has always been about creating an environment for small businesses to connect and collaborate," Koorndyk said. "We've always tried to be a magnet for resources and programs to support entrepreneurs, and we always will be. Where it's different is the scale and scope."
Koorndyk added they didn't use to have students engaging with their entrepreneurial program, nor did they have the number of businesses bringing their energy to the space. With their presence at The Hub, that's all changed.
"It's a little bit like our old space, but at the same time it's fundamentally different," he said. "The DNA of our organization is the same, but the space allows us to be bigger and better than we were."
Beyond UD and TEC, several other entrepreneurial-focused organizations have established a presence at The Hub.
One of those groups is Launch Dayton, a collaborative effort that connects entrepreneurs to peers, resources and supporters, while also telling their stories in the community. Launch Dayton Program Manager John Owen said they will be running most of their programming out of The Hub, which includes a variety of events such as Early Risers, Dayton Startup Week and Launchpad. These events allow entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and companies, network, and connect with those who could help launch and/or scale their respective startups.
"I see this as literally the hub for entrepreneurship in our community," Owen said. "If you look at the companies coming out of some of the programs like Early Risers, you're seeing the foundations of long-last lasting businesses that will continue to grow in the region and create jobs. These early-stage companies will be the foundation for the next 30 years of businesses here in town."
Other programs and events happening at The Hub include industry-specific track days tailed to different types of companies, a startup marketplace to showcase local small businesses, and a mentoring network program that connects mentors with mentees.
Owen said he hopes many people who attend Launch Dayton programs and go on to create successful business will return to The Hub to help others who are looking for support.
"I think that's a huge thing — when those companies, those graduates come back for events like Launch Pad and continue to engage with the community," he said.
Launch Dayton works closely with another tenant at The Hub — Parallax Advanced Research. The nonprofit, which performs applied scientific research and development, aims to tackle global challenges by accelerating innovation, and developing technology and solutions through strategic partnerships with government, industry and academia.
Parallax Marketing Manager Audrey Ingram said what excites her most about The Hub is the opportunity for collaboration among people of all walks of life.
"We really want to throw all of those people in a room together and see what comes out of it," Ingram said. "I think the business community is incredibly supportive of each other already, so what we want to do is continue to grow that."
She added another key aspect of The Hub is having a network of entrepreneurs and resources all in one place, which enables further collaboration that may have been siloed in the past.
"You can literally walk off Main Street and there will be somebody in this building who can immediately help you," she said. "That's not something I think we've always had because typically it's been more splintered. So the fact that you can just walk into the space and connect with someone who can help you is very exciting."
Another entrepreneurial support organization that set up shop at The Hub is Aviatra Accelerators. The nonprofit accelerator focused on empowering women entrepreneurs offers three main types of programming in Dayton, as well as networking events. EXPLORE is an early stage ideation and business validation program; LAUNCH is a traditional accelerator program for young businesses moving to the next level; and GROW is ongoing sustainability programming.
Aviatra Accelerators - Dayton Director Pamela Cone said they plan to run these programs out of The Hub. With Aviatra's programs, combined with the energy and collaborative opportunities that exist at The Hub, Cone said women will be put in a better position to succeed in the business world.
"To me, The Hub represents a resurgence of energy — that innovative spirit Dayton is known for," Cone said. "And to see this particular space as a center for entrepreneurs to connect and have access to resources, that energy is only going to grow. Because at the end of the day, I believe access to resources is the great leveler."
With the right amount of resources and connections, Cone believes the women that come out of Aviatra's programs will establish a slew of small businesses in the community.
"I think all of us in this ecosystem, if we're in partnership with small business owners, then we'll see that impact in the community," she said. "It will take some time but the work we do impacts the women I come in contact with through Aviatra. Then that will impact their families, and ultimately that will impact the community, so you see the ripple effect. The more successful individuals we have, the more stable families we have; and the more stable businesses we have, the more stable the community."
While Aviatra focuses mainly on women entrepreneurs, another organization at The Hub specializes in the region's minority population. In partnership with community leaders and UD, the Greater West Dayton Incubator (GWDI) mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, diverse and accessible ecosystem of entrepreneurs who are not defined by their background or where they live.
Though it's based in west Dayton, GWDI has a satellite office at The Hub. GWDI Manager Karlos Marshall said the goal of having space at The Hub is to connect the main business district with various neighborhoods within the community.
"The objective here is that The Hub will have intentional outreach to those neighborhoods, and to make sure the startup community is more accessible and inclusive to entrepreneurs who have been systemically marginalized and disenfranchised from the various resources that exist here," Marshall said.
He said a lot of their work comes down to relationship building, finding gaps and bridging those gaps to help minority entrepreneurs find success in the Dayton area. GWDI works with many of the organizations at The Hub, including Launch Dayton, TEC and Aviatra, in addition to UD. Together, these groups help create programming and events such as Black Founders Night at The Hub, which brought a number of business owners and community leaders into one place.
"For the entrepreneurs we're working with, we want them to know they can utilize space at The Hub," Marshall said. "We're going to intentionally create that space and cultivate an environment for them to be able to scale and sustain businesses down here at The Hub. A lot of entrepreneurs, for one reason or another, don't feel comfortable coming downtown or don't feel like it's an inclusive environment that is culturally diverse and responsive to their needs. That's where we come in — to help bridge that gap."
While the future success of The Hub and the outcomes it provides for local entrepreneurs won't truly be seen for some time, it's clear the movement building.
"This is the visible, tangible proof of the kind of energy Dayton deserves, and that Dayton entrepreneurs deserve," Koorndyk said. "It's a recognition of the fact that the entrepreneurial space in Dayton is as strong as I think it's ever been."
