As we get ready to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary and look to the future in our brand new space full of fresh possibilities, it’s important to remember the hard good work that we’ve been doing since we opened our doors to the public in 2019. Thank you, Trail Mixed Media, for helping us tell our story!
May is for Moving
AMRoC is on the move this month, completing our relocation to our new space across the Mall hall from our current location by the end of the month. Since that’s pretty time-consuming – it’s a big job to pack up a 7500 sq. ft. garage! – we’re not holding any of our regularly scheduled programs and events like Open Make or our Community Conversations meetup in May. But we ARE holding a Fab Lab Garage Sale at the end of the month, and we’ve got a ton of stuff coming up in June.
May First Friday at the Fab Lab: Meet our Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Brian Alvarez-Bailey
This month, we welcomed Brian Alvarez-Bailey as our First Friday at the Fab Lab guest. Brian is our new Entrepreneur-in-Residence at AMRoC, a position he also holds with Soaring City, the new nonprofit support organization for the Tampa Innovation District, where AMRoC is based. Brian is the founder of Allison, a Fintech company that serves Community Banks and Credit Unions through a low code API, and Co-Founder of Vocasity, a Digital Vocational Incubator that served the Chicagoland area through community re-skilling and up-skilling. He also formerly served as a mentor with SCORE Chicago and was a consultant with the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council. Brian will be helping facilitate our Equity in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Support program at AMRoC.
FCDI Welcomes Stryke eSports to AMRoC Fab Lab Incubator
As we expand into our new space at University Mall we’re also excited to grow some of our programming, including our Entrepreneurship and Small Business Support program. While we’ve been hosting our Equity in Entrepreneurship program since 2019, with the improved functionality of “New AMRoC”, we can now work with early-stage businesses in new ways. To that end, we’re happy to welcome our first incubator company, Stryke eSports.
During a recent visit to the Fab Lab, Stryke eSports Co-Founder, Michele Mendez, said that given all of the new and exciting improvements underway at RITHM (former University Mall), and the growing entrepreneurship opportunities within AMRoC, it would be crazy to not explore a residency in their new small business incubation space. “I couldn’t imagine anything better than to be amid all of the other STEAM programs and activities within the new, larger space that they are moving into.”
We completely agree! Look for Stryke eSports at our Grand ReOpening on June 18th, and stay tuned for news and announcements about gaming events and opportunities at Stryke, later this year.
New Season of Equity in Entrepreneurship programs start June 16
Speaking of entrepreneurship, our Big Idea Brew Club kicks off June 16 in our new facility. Visit Equinent.org to learn more and sign up to learn how to turn your great idea into a sustainable business! Priority registration for University Area residents.
AMRoC 3rd Anniversary and Grand Re-Opening Set for June 18th
Join us for our Grand Re-Opening and to Celebrate our 3rd Anniversary in our new 8000 sq. ft. facility at RITHM at Uptown (University Mall), right across from our original location. RSVP HERE.
AMRoC Spotlights!
Moving our big Fab Lab is not for the faint of heart, so we want to give a shout out to all the amazing volunteers, from middle and high school students on our youth robotics teams to University of South Florida student
volunteers, and to all the amazing community partners and friends who have been helping out for the last few weeks. Thank you!
AMRoC R&D Labs – Helping You Helps Us
Stuck on a design or programming problem? AMRoC R&D Labs is available for consultation and hire to solve business and creative needs and challenges across a diverse field of expertise for the public, private, and government sectors.
Professional fees benefit youth programs, in addition to solving your work challenges. The team is currently working on technology solutions for marine, communications, and aerospace projects, and welcomes the opportunity to explore creative solutions to your business challenges, as well!
AMRoC Fab Lab resources include CNC milling, laser cutting, 3D printing, and rapid prototyping, CAD design services, and more. Visit our AMRoC Services page to learn more and schedule an appointment.
Subscribe to our newsletter and keep your eye on our social media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for news and information about our upcoming move across the hall, opportunities for volunteering and mentoring, and more. And look for summer programming notes in our June update!