Founders’ Grove, a new shared office space, opened Wednesday.
Create Campaign is the nonprofit organization that will maintain the office spaces. It says its mission is to serve as a hub for African-American and Latino entrepreneurship growth and business development.
The organization began in 2015 as a partnership with the Entrepreneurship Task Force and has grown into a standalone organization that operates in Wichita and Kansas City.
Founders’ Grove is located near 21st and Grove in a former Commerce State Bank building.
Christina Long, president of Create Campaign, says the office building is located in an area where a majority of the Create Campaign participants live.
Long says the “hub for entrepreneurship” will accommodate businesses of all kinds.
“We’re able to serve a wide range of entrepreneurs, from those who are pre-venture, and also businesses who are more mature and looking to scale,” Long says. “We have programming that speaks to their needs as well.”
Create Campaign will be joined by several other nonprofits that will operate from Founders’ Grove.
Those organizations include Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce - Wichita, Destination Innovation and Real Men, Real Heroes.
At a grand opening for Founders’ Grove Wednesday, Kevin Andrews, president of the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce in Wichita, said the project is "wonderful for our community".
"Founders' Grove has roots that’s going to spread, and we are going to spread like wild fire," he said.
Mya Acosta is an intern in the KMUW News Lab.
Carla Eckels, director of Cultural Diversity, News and Engagement, contributed to this story.
