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WARREN -- Clean energy startup accelerator BRITE Energy Innovators has plans to renovate its downtown headquarters, a project that would allow it to keep pace with growth in the space and, its chief executive said, to continue to best serve the needs of the community.
But before any final decisions are made, the organization -- the only of its kind in the state -- wants input from the public, so it's partnered with Tipping Point, a Canfield-based real estate development company to launch a survey and collect feedback.
"We have an incredible asset here in the heart of the Voltage Valley, and as we look ahead at the needs of our statewide and national ecosystem, we first want to focus on the impact we can make here where it all started," Rick Stockburger, president / CEO, said.
"With a facility of our size, it is critical that we have public input on its future use. This space is here to serve the Mahoning Valley first, and we want to hear from our local residents, partners, and business owners before we make any significant changes."
Building a BRITE Future -- Community Changemaker Hub is open through March 27. The survey is available at energyrevolution.tippingpointdev.com. Community members, startups, local organizations and businesses are encouraged to participate and share their ideas.
THE BUILDING
Originally a Kresge Five and Dime, the 37,000-square-foot facility houses BRITE Labs for advanced battery and grid testing, a maker space, a prototyping lab, conference rooms and presentation space, as well as co-working and closed-door office rentals.
The last major updates to the facility were completed in 2015 while the organization was still in its infancy.
With the fast pace of the national adoption of clean energy technology and the change in work opportunities opened up by the pandemic, the building "faces limitations in keeping up with the demand for business development, community gatherings and workforce training," a release Thursday states.
Some of the ideas already presented for the renovation include the addition of a fast-casual restaurant, classrooms for community use, large conference rooms to facilitate training and events, a rooftop lounge and more open-air co-working space.
Thinking and discussions about changing the space started in 2022, Stockburger said, but before any plans are drawn, the organization wanted to give the public one more chance to comment.
FUNDING
Warren in 2023 gave $275,000 through its American Rescue Plan allocation to help start the project, some for engineering and some for construction, Stockburger said.
The organization also has a state capital budget request for $500,000 and is seeking $6 million through the state's Appalachian Community Grant Program. The latter is included in a $159 million mega request for dollars by a group of regional partners for projects that span Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties.
The state is expected to announce awards this month.
Stockburger said in December, when the request was made to the state, "going through COVID and having all of the Ultium (Cells) employees in downtown Warren, we realized there is a lot of work that needs to be done on our facility. We only have one bathroom in the entire 37,000-square feet, but more importantly, we need workforce training space because we see all of the supply chain coming around Ultium (Cells) and Foxconn."
"We really want to be a beacon for, not only clean energy companies to come and locate here, but manufacturing firms that are part of that to be able to do workforce training as they are setting up and getting ready to go," Stockburger said then.
Since BRITE was founded in 2010, it has helped more than 600 companies across the state scale to create more than 2,100 jobs and secure third-party investments of more than $250 million.