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August 1, 2021 As the collaboration between the SBU Innovation Center, JCC and OBDC continued to strengthen, the concept of a co-working space for students and area entrepreneurs was spawned. In line with creating a co-working space, the back end of the 4th floor of the building re-designed and repurposed. Decades of literal junk was hauled out of the space (4 dump truckloads). While the drywall was being torn down, the original brick wall from 1895 was discovered, and the o

August 1, 2019 The influence of a very active OBDC Board of Directors lead to a much higher level of collaboration between St. Bonaventure University, Jamestown Community College’s Olean Campus and OBDC. The entrepreneurial spirit and energy of the college campuses drove the creation of the St. Bonaventure University Innovation Center, with plans to create an entrepreneurial startup community here in Olean (based on the book Startup Communities by Brad Feld). The concept of

August 1, 2017 Part of the new business model was to renovate the building, which hadn’t been updated in decades. A key element of this was adding an elevator to the building and renovating/repurposing what had for years been classrooms into usable office spaces. With the help of a New York State Empire State Development grant, the generosity of local donors and a mortgage from Greater Olean Area Federal Credit Union, the building’s first 3 floors were fully renovated and h