The Signal Boost of the Week goes to Dan Kastner, founder of 1977 Mopeds and co-founder of the Moped Army, who has recently started a small-business incubator here in Kalamazoo:
“Right now we’re in absolute renovation mode, the building was ruined,” Kastner said. “We’re doing it all ourselves. Our office upstairs is wrapped up and the rest of the renovations should be finished in two months. We’ll have two buildings, and the field behind will eventually be set up for community events.”
The first floor of the building will be a machine shop for each business to utilize for prototype models, small-scale manufacturing and repairs. The second story of the building is multi-use office space with hardwood floors, couches and computer tables.
A screen printing station is sectioned off in one corner of the office space, which is made distinct by flooring made of recycled and plastered real estate signs. A full-use kitchen will eventually be installed to be used for Emily’s food blog.
Connected to the building is the shell of what will be a finished warehouse, intended to store some 3,100 retail parts sold at 1977 Mopeds and possibly as a moped showroom, that will be accessible through a garage door.
The crew decided to call the incubator "The Reality Factory," Kastner said, after finding another site perfect for the incubating business environment they envisioned, which they coined "The Fantasy Factory." However, the site was entirely out of their financial reach.
“We had to settle for reality,” said Kastner, with a laugh.
You may remember me mentioning Dan's equally-talented wife Emily here in a previous signal boost. I'm so lucky to have such amazing neighbors.
