PEORIA, Ill. – Distillery Labs new innovation hub was unveiled in downtown Peoria on Tuesday.
The facility’s Executive Director Doug Cruitt says it will serve as a launch pad for the next generation of innovators.
“I think we have such a great opportunity to choose a new identity, it doesn’t have to be our only one, but choose a new identity as the innovation capital of the world. We are the place you want to come if you are a startup founder…we’re going to support your mental health, we’re going to support you by connecting you with others…we’re going to educate, motivate, inspire, connect,” Cruitt says.
The Distillery Labs hub in Peoria will provide coworking office space, flexible work hours and meeting and conference rooms for Central Illinois’ most innovative minds.
OSF HealthCare CEO Bob Sehring has been involved in the planning of the facility since the very beginning in 2016.
He says although Peoria’s Distillery Labs was originally expected to open its doors in 2021, it has been worth the wait.
“All of this has been a labor of love. The space is outstanding…it will be open to the community and bring people together. I think we all heard when we first walked in, the level of noise that was in here…which is a good recognition of the conversations that will happen in this space,” Sehring says.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali says what began as an idea to support startup founders and small businesses eight years ago, is now reality at Peoria’s Distillery Labs.
“It’s amazing that it’s in Peoria. It’s going to be an economic driver for the city, as well as for the Peoria region. It’s just amazing, and I just want to thank and congratulate everyone who has played a part,” Ali says.
Distillery Labs was launched in 2019, funded through a $10 million grant that is part of the larger Illinois Innovation Network.
Peoria’s Distillery Labs hub is the first of 12 of its kind in the state to open its doors.
Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, and who was instrumental in getting Distillery Labs going, says it will nurture the next generation of business leaders by bridging the gap between aspiring entrepreneurs and the resources they need to succeed.
To learn more about Distillery Labs in Peoria, click HERE.
The ribbon cutting officially opens Peoria’s new Distillery Labs innovation hub in downtown Peoria on Tuesday, July 30. (1470 & 100.3 WMBD-Julia Bradley)
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