The Mill, a nonprofit entrepreneurship center, has assembled a new advisory board to manage development and marketing for Bloomington’s Trades District.
The board currently consists of nine individuals — mostly from the private sector — with expertise in real estate, business, academia and government.
John Fernandez, The Mill’s senior vice president for innovation and strategic partnerships, described the members’ varied professional backgrounds as a benefit to the Trades District’s development.
“They represent different industries; a large percentage are relatively new to Bloomington,” Fernandez said. “I think having voices like that at the table really helps keeps us honest and gives us a good reality check on some of the thinking that has gone into the development here.”
Sue Aquila, the founder and owner of Bloomington Bagel Co.
Isak Asare, a consultant with Aleria Research Corp, co-director of the Cybersecurity & Global Policy Program at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global & International Studies and a Democratic city council nominee
Jay Baer, the owner of Convince & Convert and Founder of Tequila Jay Baer
Erik Coyne, the chancellor of Ivy Tech Bloomington
Hamid Farzad, the vice president, of global business development for BioProduct Commercial
Anne Fields Lucas, the director of NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge
Jon-Paul Herron, the director of network services at Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
Michael Huber, the vice president of university relations at Indiana University
Bryant Niehoff, the CEO of Uplands Science & Technology Foundation
Fernandez said the board may later grow to 15 members. He hopes to add individuals with successful startup experience and locals.
The Mill also wants to leverage the members’ professional connections to attract new businesses to the Trades District, including ones related to artificial intelligence and biotech.
“We want them to be an active part of the network to help drive the district forward,” Fernandez said. “They can be tremendous ambassadors and marketers of Bloomington and the Trades District as they go about their business, traveling around the country and the world doing their own professional work.”
Earlier this year, the city’s Redevelopment Commission authorized The Mill to oversee the Trades District’s development. Fernandez said the board was created as a structured approach toward making the Trades District a hub for the region’s economic development initiatives.
“We’re really well positioned in Bloomington with the district to become a very active hub,” Fernandez said. “We want to make sure that we have people sitting at the table that can bring their points of view and the voices of those key stakeholder groups for us so that we’re building the best plans possible for the district.”
Development of the 12-acre district, which is part of the Bloomington Certified Technology Park, has ramped up this year.
Earlier this month, Fernandez said The Mill had received a proposal for a $35 million, 150-room boutique hotel with meeting spaces, a restaurant, and a bar at one of four tracts for sale at the Trades District. Fernandez hopes to present that project to the Redevelopment Commission in the next few weeks.
The Mill also announced that the Tech Center is on track for a groundbreaking this fall. The center will be a 22,000-square-foot office building. It has received $5 million in funding from the City of Bloomington and was awarded $3.5 million by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Fernandez said the district’s development has stalled in recent years — especially since the pandemic — but it’s on track to becoming a long-envisioned regional innovation hub.
“Work on that district started many years ago … and hasn’t moved as fast as people would like,” Fernandez said. “But now, I think people are really ready to see us take this forward and really get the kinds of development and job creation and energy that has always been envisioned.”
