Finlandia University

Finlandia University

 

601 Quincy Street, Hancock, MI 49930 • (906) 487-7274
www.finlandia.edu

 

 

Incubator/Entrepreneurship Education related to Economic Development

 

Lily I. Jutila Center for Global Design & Business

http://www.globaldesignandbusiness.org/

 

The Lily I. Jutila Center for Global Design & Business is an integral component of Finlandia University’s Portage Campus facility. It was established in 2005 to unite the design and business communities with the students for purposes of economic development. The goal of the Center is to develop stronger and more profitable businesses by pairing design and business skills. Our services:

 

  • Provide on-site incubation support to entrepreneurs and innovators
  • Provide guidance to designers and innovators in the process of bringing new product designs and innovations to market
  • Provide training in business skills to artists, designers, and other entrepreneurs
  • Assist manufacturers and business owners in the utilization of design to develop more competitive products and businesses
  • Connect businesses with students
  • Promote the economic value of design
  • Provide rapid prototyping services

 

Design services are offered in the following areas:

 

  • Product design
  • Graphic design
  • Interior design
  • Ceramic and Glass design
  • Fiber and Fashion design
  • Studio arts

 

The CGDB and its incubator facility - which currently houses 17 companies - are in a former hospital, along with Finlandia’s Art & Design Department and Michigan Tech’s Enterprise SmartZone. Some companies are in the technology sector, while others offer marketing, graphics, or artistic products.  Services available through the incubator include all-inclusive facility leases, inclusion in a community of start-up businesses, mentoring relationships, a Biz Resource Center for business plan assistance, and training/consulting services.  The business services are often helping with business plans and financial management, including determining how to stabilize/expand the organization), planning to purchase equipment or other capital, planning for personnel expansion or finding professional services.