Local business incubator continues to grow itself

Nearly a century ago, Dowagiac’s Arthur Rudolphi made one of the biggest risks a person can make, to not only quit his longtime job at the Round Oak Stove Company, but to open up his own stove manufacturing factory, Rudy Furnace Manufacturing, only a few blocks away.

Today, the building the company once occupied still stands on Prairie Ronde Street, with the current tenants continuing to represent that Rudolphi’s spirit of entrepreneurialism.

Over the last several months, the Business Center of Southwestern Michigan has undergone some dramatic changes, both inside and outside its 34-acre facility. The most prominent of these changes is to its outer façade, replacing its old red brick exterior with a more contemporary stony exterior, complemented with light brown siding.

“We felt like it was time to give the building a face lift,” said Brian DeLong, the manager of the property. “We want people to begin to look at it differently, to not see it as the old Sundstrand or National Copper factory. To do that we needed to give it a completely new image.”

The updated appearance is meant to give off a “commercial look with an industrial flavor,” DeLong said. To complement these changes, an expanded parking lot has been added to the west side of the building, with a new pathway leading to the front entrance. DeLong is also looking to update the landscaping around the entrance way.

The west wing of the building is also undergoing renovation, with several new office spaces under construction at the moment.

“We hope people will think it’s a more commercially appealing space,” DeLong said.

Opened in 2010, the Business Center of Southwestern Michigan serves as an incubator for startup businesses as well as a resource for existing small businesses. The building currently houses offices, warehousing and manufacturing space for 28 area businesses, including the Miss Michele and Co. Dance Studio, Unique Cutting & Metal Works and Mno-Bmadsen.

“We don’t look at them as tenants, we see them as partners,” DeLong said. “As they grow, we grow.”

DeLong has been working throughout the year to help shed the heavy industrial image of the former factory, with the city accepting his request to rezone the property to a general development district during the summer. However, the building still offers plenty of resources for manufacturing or distribution companies, including loading docks and a rail spur, DeLong said.

“We give companies a blank slate, and let them paint the picture,” he said.

The manager remains hopeful that the center will be able to land an “anchor” tenant inside the facility by this time next year.

Any current or prospective business owner interested in renting space is encouraged to contact DeLong, at (269) 782-2141 or to visit the facility, located at 415 E. Prairie Ronde in Dowagiac.