A Piedmont-Triad incubator aids in the area's economic revival

If you live in the Piedmont Triad and surrounding areas, it is very possible that you are familiar with the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship.

Founded in 1987, the Nussbaum Center houses many small businesses and provides many of the necessities for these businesses for a nominal fee. These services include office and small manufacturing rentals. In addition they provide basic business needs such as a receptionist, utilization of small office equipment and mailboxes.

This business incubator is located adjacent the Revolution Mills Studios on the corner of Revolution Mills Drive and Yanceyville Streets in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is a non-profit corporation that strives to enhance economic development in the Piedmont Triad area and houses over sixty small businesses.
In addition to their many services, The Nussbaum Center offers many free workshops and seminars for small business owners, entrepreneurs and those looking to start their own business.

Sam Funchess is the president and CEO of The Nussbaum Center. He originally was a Nussbaum board member and has several years of business experience and business ventures under his belt. Mr. Funchess holds a B.A.S. in Accounting and Management which he received from Guilford College in the Piedmont Triad.

In November of 2009, the center announced their move from Revolution Mills and Yanceyville to South Elm Street in Greensboro. The old Carolina Steel building was donated to the center and is set to be the permanent home of the Nussbaum Center. However, the 60,000 square foot building is in need of much improvement before it can be occupied.

Although the center was approved for a $1.2 million loan in May 2010, the business incubator is still a long ways from the $4 million it needs to renovate the dilapidated building.

Earlier this month, the Nussbaum Center failed at an effort to secure funding from the Federal Development Administration. The federal grant would have awarded the center $1.4 million and would have matched that amount, giving the Nussbaum Center the necessary funding it needs for renovations and repairs. The center is set to relocate in 2011 when their lease is up. The owners, Revolution Mills, have made plans to occupy the space when that lease is up.

Even with uncertainty of funding, the Nussbaum Center is still striving and still assisting small business owners. The center has been a key resource in assisting the revitalization of the Piedmont Triad and surrounding areas.

Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership and Learning is an entity of the Nussbaum Center and is spear-headed by the center’s program coordinator Cathy Daniels Lee.

“I believe women can play a major role in turning the economy around through entrepreneurship,” Ms. Lee told the News and Record; a local paper in Greensboro. Through this program, several women have attended workshops and have gone on to start their own businesses. For workshop dates and times, please visit nussbaumcfe.com or wellwomen.ning.com.

If you are interested in renting office space at the center or donating funds to help with renovations, repairs and moving costs, please contact the Nussbaum Center at nussbaumcfe.com, (336)379-5001 or visit them at 2007 Yanceyville Street, Greensboro, NC 27405.