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You are here: Home / Feature / The efactory: A place for movers, shakers, dreamers and doers

The efactory: A place for movers, shakers, dreamers and doers

The efactory, a Missouri State program, is a unique resource. The mission: Help people establish and grow a business, from startup to stability.

The efactory empowers entrepreneurs.

September 24, 2019 by Michelle S. Rose

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If you had a business idea, would you know how to go from concept to reality?

Would you have all the resources you need: an office, conference rooms, fast internet and a network of people who know how to get things done?

Would you have never-ending coffee (the good stuff, from a local roaster) to fuel your hustle?

You would if you were at the efactory, a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs, startups and corporate leaders.

“I like to tell people: If you can get here, we can introduce you to the right people to get you started or grow your business,” said Rachel Anderson, director of the efactory.

This Missouri State resource doesn’t only benefit the university. The programs and people here spur economic development throughout southwest Missouri.

The efactory has won awards in its industry. It’s also attracting startups from around the country. Since fall 2017, the building’s office spaces have been at full occupancy. The place is booming, and ready for its next evolution.

Discover efactory emphasis areas

Training for the workplace

Offering office space

Encouraging female leaders

Jump-starting emerging companies

Strengthening established companies

efactory by the numbers

6 companies
were part of the efactory when it opened in March 2013
45+ companies
made their homes in the efactory in summer 2019
100% occupancy
first reached by efactory’s private office spaces on Sept. 25, 2017
18+ months:
how long the efactory has kept 100% occupancy
1,500+ jobs
created by efactory programs since it opened in 2013
+$63 million
secured, in capital and equity, by efactory clients
15+ partners
of the efactory

So much more than a business incubator

The efactory is in downtown Springfield. It’s in a building known as the Missouri State University Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center.

Missouri State took over the building, a former poultry processing plant, in 2009. The efactory opened in 2013.

“A lot of people thought of us mostly as an incubator at that time,” Anderson said. An incubator helps new businesses survive and expand when they’re most vulnerable.

Some services typically offered by an incubator

  • Training in business basics, such as presentations and etiquette.
  • Office space.
  • Access to technology and equipment such as high-speed internet, printers and scanners.
  • Facilitating relationships with potential mentors, strategic partners and/or investors.
  • Setting up opportunities for networking with other entrepreneurs.
  • Making connections between clients and experts on topics such as marketing, intellectual property, loans and finance, complying with regulations, etc.

The efactory did, and still does, offer all these services.

But the mission has expanded to include deeper training, more emphasis on corporate innovation, events that are open to the community and more.

All these services are available under one roof.

“You don’t have to go anywhere else if you’re looking for a support system. We make it easy,” Anderson said.

Unique resource for a university

Some other universities have incubators. Some have professors who do business research. Some have staff who work with entrepreneurs.

However, Anderson said the efactory is a rarity, and a point of pride for MSU.

“There are very few university-run resources that have business professionals and community growth as their main focus, like we do. And then you can factor in our coworking, and our accelerator program, and the fact that these are all staff-run programs — so far, I haven’t found any other university-run programs that do exactly what we do, on the level at which we do it.”

So why do we do it?

One, to retain professionals and students who otherwise would have moved away from Springfield.

Two, to attract students and professionals to this region.

Three, to give MSU students real-world experiences. Examples:

  • Students in some courses may be matched with efactory clients for projects.
  • Students can take a study-away course that allows them to visit the efactory, then travel to compare incubators abroad.
  • Some efactory and Small Business Development Center staff members teach courses or speak to classes.
  • There are student workers and graduate assistants at the efactory.

“Missouri State’s primary mission is to educate students and prepare them for careers, and we are a part of that,” Anderson said.

Plus, the efactory’s a fun place, with a “let’s try it” vibe: “We get to work with innovators and interesting people. Our job is to help be the ‘yes’ people,” Anderson said.

Overall, Anderson said, the efactory makes Springfield and Missouri State better.

“We’re able to assist people as they’re building their dreams,” said Paige Oxendine, ’13, program coordinator at the efactory. “Seeing that come to fruition is so exciting.”

efactory success story: Amy Blansit

The experience of a former client

Amy Blansit’s product idea came out of tragedy, but now contributes to hope. Blansit wore a silicone bracelet to support her late husband, Drew Lewis, during his battle with cancer.

Amy Blansit
Amy Blansit, the founder of Solely Jolie, is also an instructor in MSU’s kinesiology department. She was a participant in the 2017 efactory accelerator program. She did coworking at the efactory, then held a private office. She moved out in May 2018.

She later used silicone to create Solely Jolie, a pad that rids cosmetics brushes of unwanted makeup. She gives a percentage of proceeds from Solely Jolie to a partnership that fights poverty and improves the quality of life for people in northwest Springfield.

“Being at the efactory, you have access to like-minded people. If I was thinking, ‘man, I want to brainstorm this question,’ it was great to go sit in The Perch lounge area. I liked having five people walk by who give me honest feedback. There were people there who could help me with technology. Sometimes, it was simply getting advice on this idea or that, this color or that. Everyone is driven, and everyone wants to help others succeed. It was a really amazing environment.”

Efactory clients meeting in the Missouri State University Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center
The efactory is located in the Missouri State University Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center.

Training for the workplace: Equip the people behind the businesses

The efactory offers training, products and solutions to help businesses thrive.

The Small Business Development Center: The SBDC provides training and coaching to entrepreneurs in 16 counties of southwest Missouri. The center offers products, education and resources to help Missouri’s small business economy thrive. The SBDC helps both startups and established businesses.

The Management Development Institute: This Missouri State program offers professional and leadership training to companies of any size. This training is focused on timely, real-world topics. MDI offers customized training if your company has a specific workplace need.

Explore events and opportunities

There’s always something happening at the efactory, from guest speakers to art events, workshops to Lunch & Learns.

You can explore all events online. You can also find a full list of current occupants, or learn how to request office space.

Learn more about the efactory

Private office spaces at the efactory range from 150 to 1,300 square feet.
Private office spaces at the efactory range from 150 to 1,300 square feet.

Offering office space: Provide different spaces for different needs

The efactory has several types of offices. In general, tenants lease for a year at first.

“After that 12-month lease is fulfilled, clients are on a 30-day opt-out and can leave any time,” Anderson said. “Typically, we say about five years is our sweet spot. That’s when companies can usually get started outside of the efactory. We are not meant to be a long-term solution. Our goal is that clients grow out into the community. However, there’s not a clock going; we don’t kick someone out!”

Everyone who works at the efactory has access to office amenities, including:

  • Conference rooms
  • Phone rooms
  • Fast internet VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phones
  • Printing
  • Mail/delivery service
  • Custodial service
  • Parking
  • Ping pong tables
  • Coffee

Curious about working at the efactory, but worried that it’s at 100 percent occupancy? Contact the staff.

“Any time you are interested, get in touch,” said Paige Oxendine, ’13, program coordinator at the efactory. “We keep a waiting list, and things change day to day.”

Types of offices

Private: These closed-door offices range from 150 to 1,300 square feet. The efactory has several focus areas for private offices: technology, manufacturing, medical device/ health services and logistics/supply chain management.

Coworking: If you don’t need a full office, you can cowork. That means you can lease a desk in a space dedicated to coworking members. You can try coworking with a day pass for $20, or on a Free Friday. On Fridays, anyone is welcome to cowork from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Meeting spaces: Efactory clients and partners have access to a few seminar rooms and five conference rooms. There are also smaller rooms and shared lounge spaces. Outside organizations can reserve these spaces.

efactory success story: Charlie Rosenbury

Alumnus Charlie Rosenbury provides websites, virtual reality and augmented reality services to businesses. He loves working at the efactory because he can build relationships with other clients, and meet leaders from governments and industries.
Alumnus Charlie Rosenbury provides websites, virtual reality and augmented reality services to businesses. He loves working at the efactory because he can build relationships with other clients, and meet leaders from governments and industries.

Alumnus grows his business idea into (virtual) reality

Charlie Rosenbury, ’10, is on the cusp of a new trend in business training and customer relations.

He founded his business, Self Interactive, to develop custom websites and apps.

Now, Self has broadened its services to include virtual and augmented reality.

In augmented reality, or AR, digital elements are layered over your view of the real world (think Snapchat filters or Pokémon Go).

In virtual reality, or VR, you are immersed in a digital world, usually when you put on goggles.

These realities are gaining traction in the corporate world. In the last two years, Forbes and Inc. have both published stories about how VR and AR are transforming the ways businesses interact with customers and employees.

For example, VR training allows new hires to learn on-the-job skills in a simulated, risk-free space.

“This is a movement that’s picking up steam,” Rosenbury said. “VR training is applicable everywhere.”

Getting a new vision; finding support

In college, Rosenbury co-founded a music label called Lemon Drop Records. It grew into a nonprofit community space that operated until about 2012.

“That was my first ‘toe in the water’ for entrepreneurship, and I met people in the arts and downtown scene.”

Charlie Rosenbury
Charlie Rosenbury

He earned a bachelor’s in electronic arts in 2010. His first job after college was with a web development firm. It got bought out, so he decided to go into business for himself.

He started Self in his home. Eventually, he started coworking at the efactory.

“That’s when I discovered virtual reality. I had a major project that wrapped up after a lot of long nights. I treated myself by buying this VR system. It was way more sophisticated and immersive than I thought. I immediately thought, ‘I want to be a part of this.’”

He was so excited, he shared it with other efactory clients.

“I would bring in my VR equipment and set it up across the hall from the coworking space. I started getting a lot of interest in it.”

Rachel Anderson, the efactory’s director, connected him to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and other leaders so he could present his vision. He knew he could help manufacturers and other companies through VR.

“As that started to gain steam, I realized: I can’t just bring in my personal computer when I want to show this,” he said.

He soon moved into a private office at the efactory.

Training employees in a risk-free way

Self has had some high-profile clients and projects.

Recreating the assembly line of a plastics manufacturer. “New employees put on the goggles, and then go through the steps of each stage,” Rosenbury said. “They come out of the training having done the assembly, more or less. The company can send them out on the floor and get them working right away.” That program saved the company time and money in training.

Creating a virtual showroom for a company that makes shelters for computer servers, as well as food-service equipment. The products may be big and bulky, or dangerous to run. “We built their equipment in VR, then they can take a laptop and a headset to a trade show or sales call. With that, they can show off their entire product line. People can see how the equipment works and interact with it.”

Developing training for people at CoxHealth who clean a room when a patient is discharged. This work is important because it can prevent infections in patients. Previously, the hospital system used PowerPoints and one-on-one talks for training. “The main value of VR was standardization. Now, technicians across the whole organization, in any of their locations, get the same training.”

The efactory: “This place has a lot of prestige”

More growth may be on the horizon. Self has joined the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Association, made up of companies like it around the world.

Rosenbury loves being in the efactory. He’s plugged into his alma mater, and contracts with many other MSU alumni.

He has also found momentum for his company.

“We have relationships with workforce and economic development leaders in the state. This place has a lot of prestige — we get to meet a lot of VIPs. There’s a certain amount of clout we get just by being associated with the efactory.”

The goal of Rosie is to create meaningful change for women in business.
The goal of Rosie is to create meaningful change for women in business.

Encouraging female leaders: Support, assist and serve women

Rosie is an advocate and mentorship network for women. It launched in November 2016 after Oxendine said she and Anderson were hearing the same things from many women: “‘I feel like I’m doing all the right things, but I’m having trouble getting plugged in. Something isn’t clicking.’ Or, ‘I’m interested in serving on a board or considering running for office, but I am having trouble finding assistance surrounding those topics.’”

They also heard that some people had trouble finding women to serve on boards or speak at panels.

Lastly, Anderson noticed there were only a few female company founders at the efactory.

They made a plan: Create a network that boosted representation of women in business and leadership.

J. Kendall Seal, ’04 alumnus and MSU Board of Governors member, is a vice president and general counsel for a Kansas City-based group called the Women’s Foundation. The Women’s Foundation was looking to expand into southwest Missouri. It was good timing that Rosie was then in the planning stages.

Anderson and Oxendine worked with the Missouri State University Foundation to apply for a grant through the Women’s Foundation. Rosie was awarded the grant, which allowed the group to get started.

Now, Rosie is off grant funding. It is a self-sustaining efactory program with more than 1,000 members. There’s even a spin-off, Brosie, for male advocates.

What Rosie offers

  • Free and open membership.
  • Services related to starting and growing a business.
  • Training and information about how to serve on a board.
    An updated list of local board openings are available on the Rosie website.
  • Quarterly programs, including panels with women who hold elected offices, and social get-togethers.

Anderson said the goal of Rosie is not to just talk, but to create meaningful change.

Since Rosie started, about 40 women from the group have been placed on boards.

Rosie also launched an equal-pay pledge that has been signed by more than 100 employers.

Oxendine has a referral system for women who come to Rosie looking for opportunities.

“We love being an entry point and a place for women to connect,” Oxendine said.

“Then, we figure out how we can best serve them.”

Make a gift to Rosie-Women’s Leadership Initiative

Rosie would not be possible without the generous support from partners and donors. You can make a tax-deductible gift to Rosie via the Missouri State University Foundation.

Donate to Rosie

Businesses that have graduated from the efactory

A growing number of businesses have started at the efactory, then moved to their own spaces. Others have merged with, or been acquired by, outside companies. Many have Missouri State ties — the company founder may be a graduate, or employees may be alumni.

  • Beyond Creative
  • CellARide
  • Ceramex North America
  • Concepticode
  • Eagle Speak
  • EquipmentShare
  • ESM Technologies
  • Manly Cans
  • Managed Financial Networks
  • Solely Jolie
  • StepNpull
  • Vault Innovation
  • Wide Open Networks
Company founders from around the nation can be part of the efactory's accelerator.
Company founders from around the nation can be part of the efactory’s accelerator.

Jump-starting emerging companies: Accelerator helps the next big things

Once upon a time, it was hard for technology startups to find investments or clients in Springfield. “They were leaving to go to other communities to participate in accelerator programs or raise capital,” Anderson said. “We didn’t want that to happen. So, we raised $750,000 in seed capital.”

How the accelerator works

  • Company founders from around the nation can apply. Four to 10 businesses are chosen for each year’s cohort.
  • Founders take part in an intense three-month business development program during the summer. Established professionals serve as mentors and give advice to accelerator participants.
  • Companies receive $30,000 each in startup capital — in addition to other perks such as office space — in exchange for 8% equity of their business.
  • Participants end their accelerator experience by pitching their businesses at an efactory event called Demo Day. This puts them in front of potential partners, mentors and investors.
  • Participants are required to have an active presence in the state of Missouri for one year after the program ends.

So far, more than 17 companies have graduated from the efactory’s accelerator program.

Of the portfolio companies, 41% have minority founders, and 41% have female founders.

No signs of slowing down: Expansion on the horizon

Plaster Free Enterprise Center

Rachel Anderson said the efactory is exploring ways to expand into unfinished space on the second floor of the Plaster Free Enterprise Center.

The expansion would add new private offices, conference rooms and training space.

Another possible new feature down the road: A rooftop garden where clients could work or hang out.

Support the efactory

The efactory is thankful for the support of individuals, corporations and partners. Consider how you can help foster entrepreneurship in southwest Missouri.

Donate to the efactory

Strengthening established companies: Innovation isn’t limited to startups

Think if you have an established business, the efactory has nothing for you? Think again.

Corporate innovation is one of the newer focus areas for the efactory.

Anderson had been getting this message from some large Springfield businesses: “A lot of the challenges that startups are facing, we’re going through, too. Can you work with us to figure out how we can change our innovation culture?”

They now hold an annual innovation accelerator with a local health system.

Efactory staff also started a group called the Springfield Entrepreneurial and Innovation Network. This group works in conjunction with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It serves larger, established companies that are interested in innovation,” Anderson said.

Alumna: “Public affairs is a huge part of what we do here”

Paige Oxendine, ’13, said the efactory contributes in important ways to Missouri State’s public affairs mission.

She should know: She was a Citizen Scholar in 2013, the year she graduated with a bachelor’s in public relations and socio-political communication.

Paige Oxendine
Paige Oxendine

The Citizen Scholar award is one of MSU’s top honors. It goes to students with stellar achievements in academics, community engagement and leadership.

“I appreciate that regardless of whatever a student is studying, there’s a common theme that runs through everyone’s university experience. It really is about so much more than your particular field of study. We ask everyone to be mindful about how they can be a participant in their broader community.”

She is now the program coordinator for the efactory.

“Public affairs is a huge part of what we do here. We encourage clients and visitors to think about the ways they can be involved in the community outside of their business venture. It’s about how to be a truly effective and engaged and ethical citizen, regardless of what career you choose.”

Filed Under: Feature Tagged With: Alumni Association, Amy Blansit, Charlie Rosenbury, Feature, Paige Oxendine, public affairs, Rachel Anderson, The eFactory

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