LaGrange launching Innovation Center

 

LaGrange County Eco­nomic Development (EDC) is moving forward on a transformative $4.6 million project that will bring childcare, entrepre­neurship, and economic de­velopment under one roof. This week, the LaGrange County Commissioners and County Council unan­imously approved a com­mitment of $2.2 million in Major Moves funds toward the creation of the new La­Grange County Innovation Center.

The LaGrange County Innovation Center project, led by LaGrange Coun­ty EDC, will repurpose a former surgery center— vacant since 2015—into a vibrant hub located at 2500 N. Ventura Way, just off State Road 9 near the BMV branch. The project will house offices for the La­Grange County Economic Development Corporation and the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce, a business incubator space, a 60-person communi­ty meeting room, and a high-quality early learning and childcare center oper­ated by local childcare pro­vider Imagination Station.

“This is more than a con­struction project—it’s an investment in LaGrange County’s future. It address­es key challenges we face today: a lack of childcare, workforce shortages, lim­ited support for entrepre­neurs, and the need for dy­namic community space,” said Sherri Johnston, Pres­ident & CEO of the La­Grange

 

County EDC. “The Innovation Center will be a place where families are supported, businesses are launched, partnerships are built, and talent is re­tained.”

The project is supported by a $500,000 Lilly Early Learning Indiana grant, is in line for over $921,000 in READI 2.0 funding from the State of Indiana, and has received sever­al additional contribution commitments, including $250,000 from the EDC, $50,000 from NIPSCO, and $25,000 from the LaGrange County Com­munity Foundation. The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership has endorsed the Innovation Center as a top candidate for READI funding in the county, par­ticularly because it address­es the critical and growing need for childcare.

Jenna Anderson, coordi­nator for Thrive by 5 serv­ing LaGrange and Noble counties, noted that only 8% of LaGrange County’s childcare needs are cur­rently being met. Imagina­tion Station, now operating as the nonprofit Go Foun­dation, will serve up to 72 children ages 0–5, provid­ing tuition assistance to low-income families. The childcare wing will feature its own secure entrance and two age-appropriate play­grounds.

LaGrange County Coun­cilman Jeff Campos de­scribed the center as a need for the county and Lake­land School Superintendent Traci Blaize emphasized the benefits for students and future entrepreneurs. “Children from Imagina­tion Station are well pre­pared for kindergarten, and the entrepreneurial space will be ideal for Lakeland High School students al­ready working on business creation projects in our entrepreneurship program­ming,” Blaize said.

The building’s renovation will be managed by JICI Construction (Angola) and Moake Park Group (Fort Wayne), with utilization of LaGrange County con­tractors in as many roles as possible. If remaining funding is secured, con­struction is anticipated to begin later this year, with the center expected to open in Fall 2026.

“This is a once-in-a-gen­eration opportunity,” said Johnston. “By bringing together key services un­der one roof, the LaGrange County Innovation Center will energize our region’s future.”