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A number of local, mostly youngish, entrepreneurs have set up collective shop on south Broadway in Rochester, developing a co-working space to incubate the businesses that will help to shape the community’s future.

“We really want to foster an environment for those who have the desire to become a part of our entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said founding Cubist David Hewitt, who also owns Mama Meg’s Frozen Novelties. “We want to see more start ups in Rochester, that’s the bottom line.”

Hewitt believes that the entrepreneurial scene has matured over the last few years to the point that creating this network is possible. Erik Giberti, an entrepreneurial collaborator and social media developer, scoped out the scene about three years ago and found it lacking in the types of enterprising characters to create a co-working space.

Noting that there are many similarities between artists and entrepreneurs, Hewitt gives some credit for the business ecosystem’s readiness for an entity like The Cube to a community-wide effort to encourage our creative class.

“Rochester has intentionally been building a creative community over the last three years,” he said. “There are lots of different types of artists. But artists have a drive to create something for themselves. Entrepreneurs are the same way.”

Finding his inspiration stagnating within the Rochester Entrepreneur Network (REN), which Hewitt has groomed over the last several years, he set out to create an environment populated solely by the types of entrepreneurs who had developed their talents, were making a little money with their start up, and perhaps most importantly – were ready to run through brick walls to make their ideas happen.

Hewitt called together 20 local entrepreneurs for lunch and discussed his idea to create a business incubator for passionate entrepreneurs. Of that group, six kept with the idea and started in on shaping what would become The Cube.

Last April, Hewitt opened up the physical space where the idea would come to life. Starting up in an easily overlooked location between Broadway and 1st Avenue south near the YMCA (originally rented to store equipment for Hewitt’s ice cream sandwich business), the small shed-like structure became dubbed The Cube. A few tables, chairs, a white board, and innovative business ideas later and The Cube was a new way of doing business in Rochester.

With the idea having outgrown its humble namesake, The Cube has settled into a new home at 328 South Broadway (Cube 2.0) over the last few months. It now operates as a member-owned LLC with a dozen members. New members must be voted in by the existing crew.

The Cube recently began accepting one-day and once a week “collaborator” members. Individuals with vague business ideas, in the early stages of planning or kicking the tires should not seek to utilize The Cube just yet; Hewitt recommends REN or a number of other business development groups in the area.

“This is where you can expand on your great ideas, problem solve your current issues,” said Bucky Beeman, a Rochester commercial real estate agent, entrepreneur, and original Cubist. “You can see mentors and start ups alike working together to bring out the best in each individual Cubist.”

The co-working space provides Cubists a space to hold meetings and meet with clients without the expense that would accompany acquiring their own space. Even more importantly, Cubists will utilize one another to motivate and further their ideas. Hewitt even offers free ice cream sandwiches.

“The Cube is all about encouraging new ideas and businesses in the Rochester area,” said Jaime Sundsbak, another original Cubist and founder of Rochester Commons (www.rochestercommons.com).

Working a full-time day job in addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors makes meetings for entrepreneurial endeavors during regular business hours a challenge for Sundsbak.

“A lot can be done at home, but I find the resources and energy of The Cube very attractive,” he said.

“It’s important for me to actually see and talk to our community members.”

In the coming year, The Cube looks to create a mentorship board consisting of experienced, successful entrepreneurs to solidify the Cubists’ focus on growth and sustainability. They also plan to forge more synergized relationships with established businesses that can provide resources needed by startups, as well as facilitate events where these businesses can learn from others as well as tell the community what they are about.

Perhaps spurred by the downturn in the economy, there has been a shift towards a co-working model, and away from the approach of having large, self-interested companies compete with one another. More than 200 business incubators have cropped up nationally.

“The problem was that in the past we were not very collaborative,” Hewitt said, noting that having institutions such as Mayo and IBM are very beneficial for growing this entrepreneurial network because they attract very talented people to the community. “Now we’re seeing a paradigm shift. Instead of fishing for the big whale – trying to attract a large business to the community- what we should be doing instead is looking at the key resources and assets that we have as a community and try to leverage those across the region.”

The Cube is just starting to see some of the fruits of their labor. Hewitt estimates that it will take about 20 years for this new paradigm to take hold. To reach its potential, Hewitt says that the movement will require a long term vision, an inclusive nature, organizations to provide tools for entrepreneurs, and continuing events for the new business class.

“It’s posing challenges to those larger institutions, but it’s creating opportunities for more people to determine the future of Rochester,” said Hewitt. “That’s really exciting.”

For more information, please visit www.cube.mn