GRAND RAPIDS — Artists, entrepreneurs, students, teachers and business leaders now have a collaborative, educational hub to hone their crafts at

The Forge

.

Located at 1201 SE Seventh Ave.,

Itasca Economic Development Corporation

‘s newest project features floor, power and manufacturing tools; large-scale metalworking and welding equipment; as well as art and painting resources — all available to the public under one roof.

With designated areas for trade and technical education, business incubators, community artists, training and room rentals, The Forge aims to address the dynamic needs of the rural community.

Two

Small Business Development Center

consultants will also be staffed on site to offer free business planning, financial planning and marketing services to entrepreneurs.

“Both sides of the building are really focused on this three-pronged approach — which is the student, the worker trying to get more skilled training, and the entrepreneur-innovator trying to develop,” said Tamara Lowney, president and CEO of Itasca Economic Development Corporation. “It’s a place where you have to have all of these components under one roof. This is an entirely new concept. There’s really nothing like this out there.”

The former manufacturing space had previously housed two incubator businesses, including family-owned

Swan Machine

.

“We were using it to help businesses as they get started in the area,” said Lowney. “We really wanted it to be more, and we really wanted to serve the needs of the community. We need more people working within the trades, so we’re addressing that workforce issue.”

The project comes at a pinnacle point, as nearby manufacturer

Yanmar

is anticipating the addition of 200 jobs to the market in the next three years, Lowney said.

The Forge has partnered with the

Minnesota North College

‘s engineering department and the

Next Career Pathways

high school programs within Itasca County so students can gain experience in the trades and manufacturing, in hopes of becoming the future workforce.

So far, $2.3 million has been raised to fund renovations, equipment, operations and programming for the 17,000-square-foot facility, Lowney said.

The Forge received grants and other funding streams from several sources.

“We’ve really worked hard to bring these federal and state funds into our community and then use the local companies to really provide the service,” Lowney said. “It’s our priority to try and keep that money local.”

Hibbing-based ARI Engineering was hired for architectural and design services. Minnesota North College, Next Career Pathways and Northeast Office of Job Training also contributed to the planning and design. Hawk Construction of Grand Rapids is the general contractor for the project, in addition to many subcontractors from Itasca County, Lowney noted.

Work is nearly complete on Forge North, which is where welding and CNC machines, laser cutters, 3D printers, classroom with interactive technology and meeting spaces are currently fully operational. Staff and extern teachers Matt Sandys and Joe Gabardi have been testing welders and equipment as it arrives.

“That side of the building is really devoted to training and workforce development,” Lowney said. “The classroom is a classroom. That means if you want to come in and train on something that’s not trades related, you can still do that.”

Within the next few weeks, the build-out of the incubator spaces on Forge South will wrap up.

With six 100 square-foot incubator spaces on the north side of the building, and five 1,200 square-foot incubator spaces on the south side, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to lease them below market values and have access to the available equipment.

“We feel confident we’re going to have most of those incubator spaces full by the end of the year,” Lowney said.

May Mobility is already leasing space at The Forge to bring goMARTI (Minnesota’s Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative) to Grand Rapids, increasing accessibility and transportation options for residents and visitors in the region.

May Mobility struggled with finding a location in Grand Rapids that was on their route and occupied the incubator space prior, Lowney said.

“We hope to be able to drive new innovative businesses, new start-up businesses that are really focused on prototypes and taking their prototypes to the next level,” Lowney said.

Forge South also includes a 700-square-foot maker space, available with a paid monthly access pass to nontraditional artists working with woods or metals. The Forge is working with the

MacRostie Art Center

leadership to identify gaps within the artist community.

Funding was also recently received to redo the parking lot, paint the building and complete other exterior aesthetics as part of the final phase of construction.

Overall construction on The Forge is anticipated to conclude this fall.

“As we grow, the vision for this location is to be a training center,” Lowney said.

In September and October, The Forge will host innovative meetings in partnership with May Mobility. Topics will range from smart transportation, mobility equity, workforce and education, rural transportation case studies, future mobility topics and policies and programs to support rural innovation.

In 2024, The Forge hopes to offer community classes where the public can receive training.