Colorado Springs Technology Incubator putting final touches on new site

BYLINE: Lorna Gutierrez

Gary Markle is happy. His latest project, renovating the 23,000-square-foot building that will host the Colorado Springs Technology Incubator, is almost complete. The building at 3595 E. Fountain Blvd.

was purchased in December and is "a dream come true," said Markle, president of the Technology Incubator. "I asked for support and got help. " Now local entrepreneurs who make it through the tenant-screening process will be able to focus on their businesses. They will have high-speed Internet and telephone service, conference rooms and a team of mentors, including Markle, who has successfully built and sold software companies, to help get their businesses off the ground. "It's an ideal location for an entrepreneur," Markle said. "The vision is to have a state-of-the-art central headquarters for companies to launch. " Markle said he wants to focus on technology companies involved in homeland defense and security, making the incubator a good starting point for retired military officers who think they might have a product for national defense. "We see the incubation process as just another tool to help entrepreneurs find space and ideas for attracting capital so they can grow here," said Mike Kazmierski, CEO of the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. "We helped establish the incubator for overall job growth. " Robert Olson, regional director of the Economic Development Administration for the U.S. Department of Commerce, helped the incubator secure a $450,000 grant. "Entrepreneurship and business incubation are a very important means to building integration and diversity into the community," Olson said. "(The incubator) will give Colorado Springs the opportunity to distinguish itself from general business incubation. " Markle said that incubators have a 75 percent success rate, far greater than the average success rate of start-up businesses. The new facility is an upgrade from the incubator's former 4,000-square-foot building on Austin Bluffs Parkway. Vince Colarelli, president/CEO of Colarelli Construction, said his company took a vested interest in the project for a number of reasons, including the fact that Colarelli Construction is a fairly new business and Colarelli is well aware of the work it takes to get a business running. "We want to see new companies thrive in town," Colarelli said. "Gary has a great formula for how to make (the tech incubator) work. We'd be foolish to say no. " Markle said he hopes to have the building completely leased by the end of the year. Tenants have a variety of rental spaces to choose from, ranging from 144-square-foot office spaces to a 2,000 square foot suite. Completion of the renovations happened much faster than expected. "There was a property available that allowed us to proceed quickly," Olson said. "Many of the projects the agency supports have to go through a complete construction process. This was a wonderful opportunity (to) reuse an existing structure. " And the bottom line is always sustained economic growth. "The key is we attract, retain and grow quality jobs," said Kazmierski, "This is the growth part of the overall mission. "