New Chauncey Village facility gives entrepreneurs a place to log on, work, network

Garrett Curry, GreyMob art director; Richard Cosier, the Avrum and Joyce Gray Director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship; and Jason Tennenhouse, GreyMob owner and creative director and Greyhouse coffee shop owner, discuss best business practices at the Docking Station in West Lafayette. The Docking Station, located near the Purdue University campus at 222 Northwestern Ave., provides entrepreneurs with a casual place to meet, work and network. The station is sponsored by Purdue Research Foundation, Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship and Frontier Communications. (Purdue Research Foundation photo)

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A new co-space facility in the Chauncey Village area near the Purdue University campus will provide entrepreneurs a place to meet, work and network while building their businesses.

The facility is designed for Purdue student entrepreneurs and startup founders who want an informal space with high-end Wi-Fi, casual working areas with desks, a conference table and a way to share best practices with others. The new facility, called the Docking Station, is located in the Frontier Communications building at 222 Northwestern Ave. in West Lafayette, Ind. "Across the county more college students are becoming entrepreneurs and there is a national trend to create places like the Docking Station where they can go to work and connect with others who have a common goal of starting a business," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation. "The Docking Station is within close walking distance of Purdue and is located in a commercial district with coffee shops, cafés, book stores and other retail shops, so in addition to this high-tech work space, the area offers important amenities."

The Docking Station is sponsored by the Purdue Research Foundation, Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship and Frontier Communications.

"The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship is pleased to partner with the Purdue Research Foundation and Frontier Communications in offering an exciting entrepreneurial work space near campus," said Richard A. Cosier, the Avrum and Joyce Gray Director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. "I anticipate a strong network of entrepreneurs and support services developing in the Docking Station. Students, faculty and community entrepreneurs will find the facility a welcome off-campus addition to their resources for commercializing new products and services."

In addition to the space that Frontier Communications is providing, they also are supplying the communication network including the high-speed broadband Internet connection.

"Frontier Communications is very excited to support this initiative. The Lafayette and West Lafayette area provides a strong foundation for entrepreneurs, and developing a space where they have easy and fast access to the Internet is important to their early success," said Dave Sorg, general manager of Frontier Communications. "The Docking Station will give entrepreneurs the space to collaborate in person and Internet connections that they need to work in partnership with others worldwide."

The center is open 24/7 for members only but a public open house will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. April 26 at the site. Reservations are not required. The facility can support 25 to 30 members and there is a monthly membership fee. For information about membership contact Tim Peoples at 765-588-3365 or Dave Sorg at 765-423-3288.

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; and acquires property on behalf of Purdue. In the 1990s, the foundation was charged with helping the university in the realm of economic development. The Purdue Research Foundation oversees the Purdue Research Park, which is the largest university-affiliated business incubator in the country.

The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship is Purdue University's interdisciplinary hub for entrepreneurship. Through its sponsored initiatives including the certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation, technology realization program, entrepreneurial leadership academy and business plan competitions, the center aims to stimulate entrepreneurship in the Purdue community and serve as a resource for the citizens of Indiana and beyond. Located in Purdue's Discovery Park, the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship plays a key role in facilitating business development for emerging concepts and technologies stemming from Discovery Park research.

Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR) is included in the S&P 500 Index and offers voice, broadband, satellite video, wireless Internet data access, data security solutions, bundled offerings for homes, small businesses and home offices, and advanced business communications for medium and large businesses in 27 states and with approximately 15,400 employees. It has a 100 percent U.S.-based workforce. Frontier's landline service is reliable, safe and accessible. Frontier Communications office in Lafayette is located at 661 Main Street. Follow and Like us on Facebook at Frontier Communications- Lafayette, and at https://www.frontier.com and https://www.frontier.com/ir.

Media contact: Cynthia Sequin, Purdue Research Foundation, 765-588-3340, casquin@prf.org