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Montana Business Incubator, BSEDA help get architect, Designlab Architects LLC started
As architect Craig Frohlich sees it, he is getting a good deal as a new client and occupant of the Montana Business Incubator http://www.mtbiz.org/ His commercial and residential architectural design firm, Designlab Architects LLC, http://www.designlabarchitects.com/ opened in the incubator July 15.
By Dave Burgess
He pays modest fees for space and services at the office, located in McDonald Hall of the MSU-Billings College of Business, and starting in business there was pretty simple, he said.
One of the entrance requirements for the incubator was that he have a business plan in place. He got help with that through Big Sky Economic Development Authority, http://www.bigskyeda.org/ he said.
"To start my business I went through Big Sky EDA," he said. "They were incredibly helpful."
And he had no problem signing the deal that allows the incubator to negotiate for a piece of equity in his business.
Frohlich said that his understanding of the agreement, which the incubator also requires of similar clients, leaves the incubator with the right to negotiate a percentage of ownership in his firm. When the time comes for him to move out on his own, he expects that he would just buy out the incubator’s small interest. And he would do it gladly.
"I’m hoping at that time if I have decent cash flow I would kick them back some money," he said.
The work he has been getting in Hardin and in Billings has given him a better start than he anticipated, he said. Incubator clients are supposed to be out on their own within three years, but Frohlich estimates he will need about two years of the incubator’s support before leaving.
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Montana Business Incubator
Montana State University – Billings
100 Poly Drive, Suite 150
Billings, MT 59101
(406) 657-2138 Telephone
(406) 657-2006 Fax
Dave Stoltenberg- Executive Director
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The monthly service he pays to the incubator is $150. With that he gets 20 hours of administrative help from the incubator staff. And he has made full use of those 20 hours, he said. Generally, the help is clerical, but he said he has had them help put together display boards for his proposals.
His lease for an office in the incubator costs $85 per month, which he pointed out is very reasonable compared to starting out by biting off a 5-year lease for $500 to $1,000 bucks a month.
"I would definitely say it’s worth it," Frohlich said.
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Craig A. Frohlich, AIA Principal
P.O. Box 1256
Billings, MT 59103
Phone: 406-245-5071
Fax: 406-245-5072
Cell: 406-855-9171
Email:
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A graduate of Montana State University-Bozeman and a Montana native, Frohlich has experience with firms in Montana, Virginia and Washington.
He has designed and overseen several high-profile projects in Billings, including the Heights Mackenzie River Pizza building, Old Town Square Townhouses, Goodwill Industries, Ross Dress for Less/Famous Footwear/Linens ‘N’ Things buildings and downtown’s controversial Skypoint.
"Designlab is a unique practice," Frohlich said. "Our creative skills enable us to ‘press the envelope’ during the schematic design and design development stages of the project, resulting in highly innovative structures."
He says Designlab’s mission is to provide clients with competent, comprehensive, aesthetically pleasing architectural services at a fair price.
"The architectural and engineering sector is doing well in Billings," said David Stoltenberg, executive director of the incubator. "Mr. Frohlich’s company is well positioned to capture significant market share as the city continues to grow."
The Montana Business Incubator says it is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization created as a partnership between the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, Montana State University-Billings, MSU TechLink, and NASA. The mission of the MBI is to foster economic growth in the Yellowstone County and Eastern Montana region by encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation in the technology business sector, with a special emphasis on creating projects based upon NASA and Department of Defense technology.
MBI services are available to both start-up and established companies. One of the key aims of business incubation programs is the development of strong management skills in addition to the fostering of entrepreneurial and innovative activity, MBI says.
Copyright © Western Business News, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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