Could Elgin be high-tech hub?
An IT entrepreneur is hoping to make a high-tech hub out of historic downtown Elgin and perhaps garner national attention in the process.
Lasse Ingebretsen is the managing director of the Elgin Technology Center, a collaborative venture intent on creating a network for students, professionals and tech firms. Ingebretsen hopes to bring 115 businesses to the downtown area and the Elgin Tower Building within five years.
Once his “business incubator” takes off, Ingebretsen thinks that goal will be well within reach.
“We believe there is power in numbers,” Ingebretsen said. “If we have a substantial number of IT people in a block or two radius, I think that will put us on a national map.”
Membership to the ETC is free for tech professionals. Entrepreneurs running businesses out of their homes are welcome to rent a post office box for $49 per month and larger firms can rent office space in the Tower Building from the William R. Stickling Foundation. ETC headquarters are on the second floor of the Chicago Street building.
Ingebretsen's role as managing director is completely voluntary as he and an advisory council attempt to get the center going. Eventually, though, Ingebretsen hopes to get 501(c) 3 status as a registered nonprofit and apply for grant funding.
Getting youth involved and connecting to colleges and universities in the area will be a primary focus of the ETC. Ingebretsen said ties to academia will keep members up to date on the latest technology and be a source of young job-seekers.
Michael O'Kelley, vice president of economic development for the Elgin Development Group, a part of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, said that group and the chamber often look for ways to work with youth.
He said the ETC may help keep the “brain trust” of college graduates local.
“Cities are looking more and more inward for how we can keep community,” O'Kelley said. “Youth today are very interested and attracted to this area of software development and gaming.”
In an economy where many are looking for jobs, the ETC will provide a platform for doing so. The center will be a resource where members can express a need for labor and be connected to those with appropriate skills.
Ingebretsen said claiming a stake in a fast-growing industry is a way to create a local, sustainable economy in Elgin.
“This project is about local-sourcing instead of outsourcing,” Ingebretsen said. “I do not like to see our jobs go overseas ... I know that we have the tech talent here to do something about it.”
The ETC officially opened on Jan. 1 but is gradually being furnished and prepared for renters. A lounge/library area is open for members' use and continually being stocked with books. Even as final touches are put on the headquarters, Ingebretsen is steadily working to create links between existing tech companies and pull more people into the center.
“We have to start taking care of our own tech ecosystem,” Ingebretsen said. “We have to start nurturing that ecosystem and if we do that right, it's going to grow.”
For more information or to join, visit the ETC website at elgintechnologycenter.com.