MERGE, a community space with resources for businesses and entrepreneurs, will continue to be a resource for Iowa City residents after its lease was renewed by the City Council on February 20th.
The space is located in the Pedestrian Mall at the west end of the Iowa City Public Library. In addition to office and event space, we also offer coaching and networking opportunities for executives.
The property is owned by the city and leased to Greater Iowa City Inc. at a reduced rent, according to the Feb. 20 agenda. Greater Iowa City pays the city $2,000 a month, and the city is using the reduced fees as a way to support his MERGE agenda. City officials say rent prices vary based on a variety of factors, so it's difficult to determine how this compares to other rents in the neighborhood, but $2,000 a month is a competitive rate for a downtown space. That's what he said.
Rachel Kilberg Burley, the city's economic development coordinator, said no other space in Iowa City has all the resources or prime location that MERGE has.
“I think this is an important asset to our economic development ecosystem because there are a lot of different actors working together in this area,” Kilberg-Varley said.
Although MERGE houses many business-oriented resources, this space is available to the community.by email to Daily Iowan, Liz Hubing, Greater Iowa City's senior director of workforce and business innovation, said the space is open to business meetings as well as community events.
“We provide the community with affordable event space for everything from fashion shows to graduation parties to community lectures and more,” Hubing wrote. “We like to call his MERGE 'Iowa City's living room,' because we truly are a space that welcomes everyone.”
Greater Iowa City staff operates and maintains the space and sets up various programs that take place within the space, including educational workshops and networking opportunities, Huebing wrote. She wrote that Greater Iowa City employees are always on-site at MERGE, so if you need assistance or advice, you can go directly to an employee in the building.
The space also hosts several programs through the University of Iowa, one of the partners involved in the space, according to the agenda. Jeff Cooter, UI's director of corporate engagement, said three different organizations and programs at the university are using the space.
One of the UI programs is Protostudios, of which Kueter is interim director. Protostudios uses his MERGE as a space for faculty, students, and members of his community to develop and prototype products with the help of staff members.
According to Kueter, startup support organization UI Ventures also uses MERGE for its services. Finally, he said the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center uses his MERGE to host events such as alumni talks and networking opportunities for students.
Kueter said MERGE plays an important role as a gathering place to make connections between professionals and community members, and as a place to support business owners with resources and advice.
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“The spaces where these activities are nurtured and supported are extremely important,” Queter said. “In short, the creation of MERGE fills an important hole in Iowa City's innovation ecosystem.”
Hubing said MERGE has been in operation since 2017. Greater Iowa City's lease for the space was scheduled to expire at the end of February. On February 20, the City Council unanimously approved renewing the lease for another four years.
For now, MERGE is one of the only spaces of its kind in Iowa City, but that will soon change. Dream City, an Iowa City organization that advocates for and supports inclusive economic development, will receive a $3 million grant that will allow him to build a space similar to MERGE in south Iowa City.
