Brookings, S.D., EDC opens community workshop

BY KAYLA PRASEK

Earlier this year, the Brookings (S.D.) Economic Development Corp. brought an idea popular on the coasts to its city.

In February, the EDC opened the Brookings Area Makerspace, a non-profit, shared community workshop, creative space and laboratory for local startups, entrepreneurs, artists, engineers, creatives, makers and hobbyists to collaborate on projects, experiment with innovative ideas and encourage learning and entrepreneurship, according to the organization’s brochure.

“This is a 2,400-square-foot workshop full of tools to create new products and components and for brainstorming,” says Jennifer Quail, director of entrepreneur support at the Brookings EDC. “It’s a resource for the community to have access to tools and equipment they wouldn’t normally have access to.”

The Makerspace features a woodworking shop, a 3-D printing lab, a creative arts area with sewing equipment and a kitchen, an electronics bench and a training lab with computers and a smart TV. Additional tools, technology and resources will be added based on member and community feedback and input, Quail says.

“Each Makerspace throughout the country is community-specific,” she says. “Ours is a work in progress, and we want member and community input. This space is about the innovative, creative community so the consumers become the creators.”

Funding for the Makerspace comes from U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grants and the Brookings EDC.

“This is part of our focused efforts on an entrepreneurial community, and by providing that specialized equipment, we can continue building that community,” Quail says.

Two levels of membership are available: $25 per month for community members 18 and older and $15 per month for South Dakota State University students. Community members can sponsor college students through the Brookings Foundation. The EDC is also working on outreach with local businesses, Quail says.

“We’re really hoping for multi-generational membership,” Quail says. “We’ve hosted different clubs from SDSU to introduce them to the space and we partnered with one of the interior design classes to provide the equipment they needed for a project.”

Quail says membership has continued to climb since the Makerspace opened.

“We’re on an upswing and we’ve been hearing some really good feedback,” she says. “We’re gaining members every week and have been giving tours and leading safety trainings every week as well.”

The Makerspace, which is located in the Brookings Innovation Center at 2301 Research Park Way, is open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. To join or for more information, visit makingbrookings.com or email bedc@ brookingsedc.com. PB

Kayla Prasek Staff Writer, Prairie Business 701.780.1187

kprasek@prairiebusinessmagazine.com