Watertower Place is a community-based innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that includes a makerspace for prototyping and fabrication as well as a full spectrum of resources for entrepreneurs. Its physical presence in the heart of the historic Grove neighborhood can be found in all aspects of Pueblo life, serving as an integral resource for members of the community. This space is free and open to the public to encourage members of the community to tinker and creatively invent in their work, research, entrepreneurial pursuits, and personal projects. Through a unique partnership between multiple schools, university offices and strategic partners, Watertower Place offers a complete menu of services and facilities to guide the creation and commercialization of intellectual property from high tech to food services.

As represented by its 5‐floor, 250,000 square foot structure, each floor of Watertower Place contributes to the center’s ecosystem where ideas turn into action Here is what is taking place all throughout our building:

Community: Provide a welcoming space for all ‐‐regardless of discipline or background ‐‐ to serendipitously meet and share ideas that may solve some of society’s most complex problems or that may just be problems that are exciting to solve

Collaboration: Provide an environment that allows creativity to flourish and ideas to move from brainstorm to actionable concepts and drafts

Prototyping: Offer digital equipment and software that brings ideas and concepts to life, bringing form and function to ideas through “making”

Fabrication: Facilitate further elaboration of creative concepts and solutions through access to traditional tools such as welding, machining, and wood‐working, helping consider the manufacturability of an idea when brought to scale

Project Space: Encourage further team building and collaboration around a creative solution and idea, with room and time to scale the idea and consider next steps

Entrepreneurship: Provide guidance and services to those creative ideas that meet a market need, allowing the teams to grow and develop a viable startup company

Incubation: Provide participants with a ‘home’ to incubate their business ideas

Our next article will focus on the Vision of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.