This city-owned 5.6-acre gravel lot south of Lewis Kingman Park at Fairgrounds Boulevard and E. Andy Devine Avenue is a potential site for a newly proposed Kingman business incubator complex. Photo by Dave Hawkins
KINGMAN – Kingman is planning a synergistic convergence of resources to provide a collaborative environment to stimulate community commerce modeled after the Nomadic incubator complex already thriving in Lake Havasu City. A trio of community leaders pitched the concept during the Aug. 20 Kingman City Council meeting.
The entire council embraced the initiative, particularly member Marion “Smiley” Ward, who enjoyed his March 29 visit at the Nomadic incubator located at 2121 McCulloch Blvd.
“When we toured that facility in Havasu, I was impressed and I think anybody on Council should definitely take that tour,” Ward said. “The people were actually there working when we were there, and you could see how the whole concept worked.”
Economic Development Bennett Bratley told council members that the Kingman incubator project aims to capitalize upon Lake Havasu’s success, while expanding the footprint by adding Mohave Community College and Western Arizona Vocational Education (WAVE-JTED) as partners.
“This shared co-workspace concept really provides a dynamic space for business incubation equipped with modern amenities that will attract entrepreneurs to foster vibrant community innovative growth,” Bratley said. “This arrangement encourages interaction between entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts, educators, students, apprenticeships, training providers and it will promote the development of new ideas, accelerate business growth and create future working professionals that will stay in our community.”
President Stacy Klippenstein said Mohave Community College and its Small Business Development Center (SBDC) are eager to participate.
“For us to partner and to work with the City on this for us would just be a ‘No Brainer’, something that we see fits very, very well with our SBDC office, Klippenstein said. “For Mohave Community College to participate in something with economic development, the advancement there as well as JTED-WAVE and the work that they do is always something that we want to jump on.”
WAVE JTED Superintendent Amy West is also eager for project partnership.
“I’m here to tell you that students these days are pretty awesome. We have wonderful kids in our communities, and they want so bad to do the right thing,” West said. “If we can provide them those opportunities, I think that that will pay us back in the long run.”
Bratley says some of the workspaces would provide sophisticated high-tech computer and audio-visual resources in areas to be leased by those working to develop products and business ventures. He said a 5.6-acre city-owned property could be an ideal location.
“The site off of E. Andy Devine and Fairgrounds Boulevard, that parcel adjacent to the Lewis Kingman Park is a good potential parcel to start developing,” Bratley said. “It’s been talked about over the years in many different types of projects. This, we feel could be a catalyst project to other potential facilities that could come into a complex like this.”
While the project currently exists as a concept, there is unanimous preliminary support from a Council that wants to learn more, particularly about cost and timeline.
“I’m interested when the numbers start to come in as far as what’s the financial burden going to be on the City. What does that look like and the operating cost once constructed,” said Vice Mayor Cherish Sammeli. “I’m going to be very interested to see how those come in.”
Dave Hawkins
