Since the Central Michigan University Research Corporation was developed in 1999, the organization had the goal of helping the community develop economic potential.

The CMURC is the result of a statewide campaign by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to create SmartZones, or areas designated to the pooling of ideas and business ventures to stimulate the local economy.

CMURC President and CEO Erin Strang is well-aware of the service that SmartZones can offer to communities like Mount Pleasant.

“The concept was to harness the intellectual capital of local students and faculty members in one spot, and connect them with their community and the business community to create an area and opportunity to create their own jobs and their own businesses,” she said.

CMURC aims to live up to its tagline of “accelerating business” by offering a variety of tools and services for local entrepreneurs to nurture their creative projects throughout all stages of development.

One of the organizational areas in the building is the designated “co-work space.” This is a large, open room where people can come in Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to talk and collaborate with CMURC staff members and other entrepreneurs. They can visit designated stations where local professionals and experts on business development are available. Higher levels of membership can provide around the clock access to the work space.

Deeper into the complex are additional work stations and meeting rooms for the more high-priority members of the organization, including a room called “The Vault” where individual work spaces can be rented for $250 per month for entrepreneurs who are further along in the development process of their ideas.

The back of the building is the dedicated “wet labs” space, a highly-regulated work area mostly used by CMURC’s “anchor tenants,” or groups working full-time within the CMURC’s “business incubator” program. The wet lab area is also used by CMU faculty members on a regular basis, including members of the biology, chemistry and College of Medicine departments.

One of the more recent and newsworthy projects to receive full “business incubator” treatment was the development of high-tech football equipment by the company Your Future Sport.

The company created a patented “High and Tight” football, which is made with software that gives audible feedback whenever the player carrying it uses improper technique. Bringing this technological football to life couldn’t have been done without the help of the CMURC, said Tom Creguer, Your Future Sport CEO.

“When I arrived at the CMURC, I thought I had a great direction and vision. (CMURC) took me and put me on the track of what an entrepreneur needs to do and how he needs to do it,” he said. “They took me from basically being an infant to being a person running towards the finish line. Now I have my product.”

The CMURC regularly provides space for local entrepreneurs to advertise and test out their projects. The most popular is the summer-long Food Truck Friday, which sees local food trucks and vendors compete and advertise in front of a large local audience.

Jeff Dyer, owner of the food truck Chase’s Place, makes regular appearances at Food Truck Friday. Dyer had nearly 10 years of previous experience in the restaurant business before starting the truck, which specializes in burgers. Dyer believes Food Truck Friday is a more convenient for customers and vendors than the restaurant setting because it allows for more eating options in a quicker fashion.

“Food Truck Friday is great for the local customers because it brings such a variety of food,” he said. “We get more business when we come here because we’re more specialized.”