TechShop’s first year in Chandler boosts local Maker Movement
Jeff Weninger.
BY COUNCILMAN JEFF WENINGER
Late last year, I had the opportunity to participate in TechShop’s oneyear anniversary celebration. This member-based, do-it-yourself workshop and fabrication studio is located within Arizona State University’s Chandler Innovation Center located near Chandler City Hall. It was my pleasure to celebrate their success with the community.
It’s been an exciting year. Through the unique academic partnership between TechShop and Arizona State University (ASU), we’ve watched education merge with the Maker Movement. This is important to me because it provides the opportunity to expand higher education in our community and provide the creative class a place to make their dreams a reality. This is TechShop’s first academic partnership of its kind.
On a recent “Chandler In Focus” show, I sat down with Mitch Eikren, general manager of TechShop and Mitzi Montoya, Arizona State University vice president and university dean of entrepreneurship and innovation. Mitzi shared that, “We are very proud to be able to bring this partnership to the community. It’s a complete connection and collision of different disciplines and age groups.”
During the interview, I learned that there are currently 1,200 members at TechShop and out of those, approximately 650 are ASU students. Through this partnership, ASU is able to offer any full-time student access to a free membership and provide vouchers for workshops so students can learn how to use the equipment.
TechShop provides very unique and
innovative hands-on learning opportunities for people of all ages. Every membership includes access to more than $1 million worth of machines and tools, Internet access, open workspace, special events and opportunity to collaborate with others.
“Our mission is to provide an environment for makers to be creative,” Mitch Eikren said. “We have Dream Consultants to assist members in project planning or to assist with technical obstacles, for example. You just need the desire to create.”
As a small business owner, I was fortunate to have someone mentor me. I support these efforts and believe that anyone looking to be successful will benefit. Many of the success stories that have come from TechShop include the development of the Square—a device that allows smartphones and tablets to become credit-card readers, a foldable kayak, and the Embrace incubation blanket which provides warmth to premature babies in developing countries.
During this past year, TechShop has demonstrated great community outreach. They provided 10 scholarships to ICAN, which included instruction on welding and wood working for young children. Each student received an honorary certificate of achievement. Through this training, these children learned a new skill and gained the confidence to create. They also hosted various events for local organizations.
Not only as a councilman, but as a parent and resident of Chandler, I believe that entrepreneurship and the tech economy are important to Arizona’s growth. We have a collaborative and innovative community. I’m looking forward to following what future developments come out of this partnership. TechShop is open to the public. To learn more about this cutting edge facility, please visit www.techshop.com or call them at (480) 327-0820. For information on classes offered through ASU, please visit its website at www. entrepreneurship.asu.edu.
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Anticipating 2015 in Chandler
BY MAYOR JAY TIBSHRAENY
Here’s to a happy New Year to the Chandler community. A time in which I hope your lives—be it as a family, business or visitor—grows and thrives. This is a good time to look ahead and visualize the many opportunities the coming months will bring us. And it should be another busy year for the City. Here are a few things to look for in 2015:
Economic Development. Chandler welcomed a new economic development director in December with the hiring of Micah Miranda. Micah has a long-standing track record of success throughout the Valley and we look forward to his success here in Chandler.
Downtown Chandler. A number of exciting projects are coming to the City core including two new residential developments with the Alta Steelyard Lofts and DC Heights luxury apartment communities. Both will bring new pedestrian density to downtown. The corner of Chandler Boulevard and Arizona Avenue will be home to a very cool new development that will include theaters and restaurants. It will be quite a draw for Chandler and the area and hopes to be complete by the end of the year.
Transparency in government. Our annual Budget Connect virtual forum is slated for Feb. 26 and this year we will begin our General Plan update that will include a number of public meetings and other ways for residents to share their views on how we will continue to develop as a community. I will continue to partner with the chamber on our Caffeine and Commerce meetings, allowing local business representatives and operators a chance to discuss issues and ideas in an open forum. And, I will also share other important news on Chandler’s business community at my Feb. 19 State of the City Address at the council chambers, beginning at 6 p.m.
Transportation. We are accelerating some important road projects, mostly in Southeast Chandler. This means better access for our residents and quicker development of some critical corridors. This will also require some patience on the part of the motoring public. Most of these projects will be complete by year’s end.
And, of course, Chandler will continue to brand itself as THE Information and Technology Hub of the Southwest, as several projects continue to develop throughout the City. I also hope to see the economy continue to improve, meaning an easier go for our small business people who are out there on a daily basis working hard and investing in our community. So, here’s to a prosperous New Year, Chandler. I wish you well. And please remember to follow me on Twitter: @ jaytibshraeny.
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