College of Engineering Student Companies Nurtured at Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory
Imagine a space where entrepreneurial students have their own office to develop their businesses...a place that provides access to resources and serves as a community hub. Imagine that facility being located in the heart of the University of Iowa campus.
That dream is coming true with the development of the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory, a 10,000 sq. ft. facility located on Clinton Street. This former fraternity building has been converted into an applied learning environment, with offices for student groups or individuals, along with several larger rooms that accommodate presentations by guest speakers and receptions. The facility will enable the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) to broaden its educational programs and provide unique hands-on learning opportunities for all UI students.
The Laboratory exists through a generous gift from Tom Bedell, chairman of the fishing tackle equipment company Pure Fishing of Spirit Lake, Iowa.
JPEC believes this initiative will attract top
entrepreneurship students to the University and provide for
advanced, cross-disciplinary experiential learning opportunities
for aspiring entrepreneurs. It should stimulate the creation
of new businesses and yield economic development benefits for
the state of Iowa.