U.S. economic development official tours MSU Plaster Center

Matt Erskine, deputy assistant secretary for economic development for the U.S. Economic Development Administration, today toured Missouri State University's downtown Robert W. Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development.

In 2009, the EDA provided $2.75 million to help fund the center's business incubator, The eFactory. Available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the funding aided the renovation of roughly 40,000 square feet in the facility for the incubator, including 20,000 square feet available for lease.

Erskine called the downtown Springfield center a catalyst for development in the area.

"This project represents the best of what we like to invest in," he said, noting the EDA provides funding for roughly 600 projects per year. "This is such a great model for what economic development needs to be."

MSU President Clif Smart called the federal grant the most important piece of funding for the Plaster Center.

During the tour - led by Brian Kincaid, business incubator coordinator for The eFactory - Erskine met with tenants, who spoke with him about their missions and reasons for leasing space at the center.

Space is available at the incubator for $15 per square foot, which includes utilities, telecommunications services, use of shared and common spaces, shared business services and equipment, technology support and mentoring and counseling for businesses. Current tenants are:

• CellARide;
• CrowdIt LLC;
• ESM Technologies LLC;
• F1 Computing Solutions LLC;
• Faucett Social Design LLC, which does business as Engage5w;
• Raw Marketing LLC;
• Springfield BackOffice; and
• The App Pros LLC.

After touring the facility, Erskine left to visit Joplin, which today is commemorating the second anniversary of the EF5 tornado that struck the city in 2011.[[In-content Ad]]