RIVERFRONT INCUBATOR: CENTER FOR LANE COUNTY START-UP BUSINESSES
EWEB Steamplant Building, Eugene OR
According to Rain in Eugene, a business accelerator network, the economy has almost made a complete recovery from the recession ten years back. Current start up business statistics in Oregon are reaching similar numbers to the pre-recession business development level, back when the economy was at an all-time high. Yet, Lane County is still far below the historic economic levels. When exploring this issue, we see that rural settings in Lane County struggle to attract foot traffic to their quaint startup businesses. Meanwhile, downtown Eugene struggles to keep store fronts filled and has neglected to successfully address the issues of homeless loitering; turning our desirable shopping strip into an undesirable dwelling street. Additionally, Lane County as a whole is missing the opportunity to enhance locals’ and tourists’ connection to our beautiful Willamette and McKenzie Rivers with the lack of dinning and shopping along the river. The ‘River Front Incubator’ strives to address these issues.
The River Front Incubator is the hub for innovation and business development; connecting Lane County entrepreneurs from rural and urbanized demographics to recourses that support start-up businesses. Just as an incubator cultivates small seeds planted, nurtures and guides them for growth, this River Front Incubator fosters an environment that promotes business prosperity. This is a hub of synergy, vibrance, innovation, inclusivity, and a magnate for opportunists. With an emphasis on social responsibility and local identity, The River Front Incubator encourages sustainable, green business models and promotes ‘Oregon Identity’, through Oregon-made, locally resourced, local infrastructure, and is Oregon tourism driven. This non-profit organization connects the entrepreneur to resources, the job-seeker to the employer, the shopper to product and the tourist to the River Front and Lane County agriculture.