Becoming the region's catalyst for entrepreneurial growth
- Sean E. Williams
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Thanks to your existing support, 2025 has been a year of growth for the OABDC, and we couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come!
Rose Street Center: This year, we partnered with Owatonna Public Schools, the City of Owatonna, Owatonna Public Utilities, the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, and Alliance for Greater Equity to operationalize the Rose Street Center, located at 115 E. Rose Street. We’re moving the Owatonna Makerspace and joining forces with The Craft Apothecary to bring creators into Downtown Owatonna, as well as opening a Coworking space for entrepreneurs and remote workers. With our Co.Starters programs, we’re also serving as the top of the funnel for the Main Street program’s Retail Incubator and upcoming Shops at Rose Street, which are being built at the OABDC’s manufacturing space by Habitat for Humanity and OHS students. A forgivable loan from the City of Owatonna’s EDA; in-kind contributions from MOHS Contracting, Christian Bros. Cabinets, and Federated Insurance; and an interest-free, forgivable loan from the Owatonna Foundation are making the buildout of this facility possible.
Software Studio: We successfully graduated eight entrepreneurs from our in-person Software Studio program this year, all of which were able to engage with Minnesota software developers to build prototypes or minimum viable products of their software solutions. These entrepreneurs received over 1,550 hours of free development time, and an online version of the Software Studio is launching in the coming weeks. These entrepreneurs received scholarships from IgniteMN to participate, and the program was funded by our Small Business Assistance Partnership (SBAP) grant from DEED.
Co.Starters: Over the summer we hosted a Food & Ag Online Academy, powered by Co.Starters, which was funded by the Mainstreet Businesses For Food and Ag (MBFFA) grant. Three of the graduates pitched their ventures at the final Entrepreneurs 1st Summit in October. We had two other cohorts of our Small Business Academy this year, and also taught a cohort of Co.Starters Generator at OHS, with another cohort being taught this spring - also funded by our SBAP grant through DEED, the SBDC, and SMIF's Prosperity Initiative.
Staff: We’re bringing on Danielle Wavrin as a full-time employee in 2026 – she’s done amazing work over the past year as our part-time Director of Entrepreneurial Services, consulting with clients and facilitating our Co.Starters offerings. Nancy Ness is continuing as Director of the Owatonna Makerspace as we move it downtown to the Rose Street Center, and we’re also partnering with Emily Pearson of The Craft Apothecary to bring the program in-house.
Owatonna Angel Network: We also kicked off the Owatonna Angel Network in October, to bring together local angel investors and startups in need of support - both financial and experiential. The response we’ve received statewide to this kickoff has been overwhelming, and we’re eager to help as many entrepreneurs through the program as possible.
The goal with all of these programs is to be self-sufficient within three years, which is where your partnership dollars make a difference – we can’t get there without your support! We need to raise $160,000 in recurring partnerships in 2026 to support the entrepreneurial need we’re seeing for Owatonna, and appreciate all the help you can give!
Statistics for the last 24 months:
132 Small Business Development Center (SBDC) clients served
496 hours of free, confidential consulting
80 Co.Starters program participants - in partnership with OPS Community Ed & OHS
36 Design Sprint participants
Software Studio: 8 entrepreneurs graduated, 1552 free development hours delivered
48 participants in monthly Innovators & Business Owners Connect-Up
18 active OABDC manufacturing facility members - Services, Offices, and Manufacturing Spaces
18 City of Owatonna EDA Loans processed through new online portal
Habitat 4 Humanity/OHS partnership at OABDC Manufacturing Space
15 registrations for Owatonna Angel Network Kickoff Event
We couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve been able to achieve over the past two years with your existing support, and look forward to the exciting journey ahead!
Sincerely,
Joe Effertz - Board President
Sean Williams - Executive Director
