Cowerks wins $240K in funds for expansion project
Will add 'Makerspace', offer science and enrichment programs for kids
Cowerks, Asbury Park’s technology hub, announced Thursday their selection as the recipient of $240,000 in funds from the state Economic Development Authority for a forthcoming expansion project.
This project will take part in two phases. The first takes place at their current location in the Lakehouse Building, at 619 Lake Ave., where Cowerks will acquire additional space to provide more offices, meeting rooms and classrooms for their rapidly growing community, according to an organization news release.
The second expansion will provide Asbury Park and the surrounding urban transit community with additional office and meeting space as well as a ‘makerspace’ equipped with 3D printing capabilities, digital fabrication tools like laser cutters and CNC machines, and a digital workbench for entrepreneurs interested in building and prototyping products involving Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other microcontrollers.
The makerspace will be in a different location than the Lakehouse building, according to Cowerks’ co-founder Bret Morgan [shown at far right]. A location in Asbury Park, not too far from the Lakehouse building has been selected and a lease is currently being negotiated, he told the Sun.
“The timing for this funding is perfect,” Morgan stated in the release. “We’ve been at capacity for quite some time and have (not so) quietly been working on a large expansion project.”
“The addition of a makerspace to Cowerks will help foster a community of inventors, tinkerers and hackers,” said co-founder Danny Croak [shown in photo at right, standing at left].
Many of the products and ideas that come out of these communities helped launch new companies like Nest, the world’s first “learning thermostat” and activity tracker, Fitbit.
“We’re just at the dawn of the ‘Internet of Things’ revolution and makerspaces are a critical element to this movement,” Croak said.
In addition to more offices and a makerspace, Cowerks plans to expand into the field of education.
Last year, the business hosted close to 50 workshops and events geared towards small business owners, startup entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts. This year, they plan to increase that number as well as launch a computer science enrichment program for kids. As literacy in computer science and programming quickly becomes a basic requirement for tomorrow’s workforce, enrichment programs for young individuals is the surest way to make certain this core competency is met, the release stated.
“We believe this expansion will give us the momentum to quickly become the epicenter for technology and entrepreneurship in Monmouth and Ocean Counties,” Morgan said. “It will also allow us to help shape the minds and lives of the next generation of computer engineers and programmers.”
“This is going to be a big year for us here at Cowerks,” said Croak, “and we’re truly grateful for the unique opportunity at hand.”
For additional information visit Cowerks at cowerking.com or Jersey Shore Tech at meetup.com/jersey-shore-tech.
[Photo at top of a recent workshop hosted at Cowerks provided by Bret Morgan.]
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