The Humboldt & District Chamber of Commerce is looking for new space to accommodate the city's expanding business community.
On July 9 the chamber issued a request for proposal for what it's calling the "Humboldt Business Hub", a property that will house not only the chamber but offer rental space and a collaborative environment to everyone from short-term contractors to local entrepreneurs.
The idea to house multiple businesses under one roof and offer rental space to a rotating cast of characters is a relatively new one. If executed here, it would be the first example of its kind (sometimes called "co-working") in rural Saskatchewan. The hub would feature a central reception area and businesses would share overhead costs.
Currently the chamber operates out of the visitor information services and campground building on Highway 5. Cramped, pressed against a mini-golf course and far from the central business district, the location is far from ideal. It's difficult to conduct chamber business when eager golfers and weary travelers are constantly coming through the door.
On a recent afternoon, chamber executive director DonnaLyn Thorsteinson is kept busy booking campsites and answering an ever-ringing phone. A long line of putters leans against the front desk. There are no private offices and a lack of space means the chamber has to conduct its board meetings at a local restaurant. It's obvious that something has to give.
"As our chamber and the community has grown we're just at a different level than we were five years ago," Thorsteinson said after the last of the travelers shuffled out the door.
Last year several chamber members approached Thorsteinson with the suggestion that a new building was needed in order to project a more professional and visible image for the organization. The idea for a business hub came to Thorsteinson last fall after she visited The Two Twenty, a co-working space in Saskatoon that opened in 2010.
One of the goals for the Humboldt business hub will be to help entrepreneurs make the difficult transition from having an idea to opening their own store. Renting office space at the hub will serve as a launching pad; think of it like riding a bike with training wheels. It will also offer what Thorsteinson hopes will be a collaborative and creative environment.
"Sitting around the coffee room at break time is when a lot of great ideas can come from everybody," she said.
Though the plan has only been public for a few days, Thorsteinson said she has already heard from both potential landlords and businesspeople interested in renting space. One of those businesses is Sagehill Community Futures, a community development agency based in Bruno. Dianne Olchowski is Sagehill's CEO and thinks renting space at a future business hub could help the company reach out to potential customers.
"Part of the consideration would be whether it would help us reach our market more effectively," Olchowski said. She added that the possibility of working with many other business owners under one roof is another part of the appeal, especially for a company that works primarily with small businesses and community groups.
The home for the future business hub must be at least 3,000 square feet and offer a boardroom able to hold at least 15 people - no more meetings in crowded restaurants. According to Thorsteinson, finding the perfect match could prove difficult. "The biggest challenge is finding a vacant and suitable building and a landlord who is willing to partner with us and work with us to make this happen in a way that mitigates our risk. We are a non-profit so there's not a lot of dollars we want to be risking."
Thorsteinson is hoping the doors will open at the new business hub sometime next spring. All proposals must be submitted to the chamber by Aug. 9, with the winning bid chosen no later than Sept. 12, setting in motion an entirely new direction for the chamber.
"Saskatchewan is just a place to be now and people are more willing and able to take these kinds of risks," Thorsteinson said. "This is probably the biggest thing our chamber has ever done."
