The tour of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center (SCV BIC) in the Sterling Ponds Industrial Park gave our club detailed exposure to this gem of a facility.
Sheri Marnell, PhD, was appointed to the position of director of SCV BIC earlier this year. She holds PhD and MBA degrees in business management and has worked for Target Corporation and in higher education for UW-Stout. 
The five markets for the Center are:
- Industrial space
- Office space
- Co-working space
- Asecond floor build-to-suit space
- Hosting of meetings, webinars, and conferences.
Dr. Marnell reviewed some of the history of the Center, which opened its doors in 2018. The founding and governing partnership is:
- The College of Business and Economics at UWRF
- The City of River Falls
- Chippewa Valley Technical College
- The River Falls Economic Development Corporation.
The need for a business incubator was recognized in 2010, which led to the collaboration that resulted in design and building of the facility. The Business Innovation Center is a partnership among the College of Business and Economics at UW-RF, the City of River Falls, Chippewa Valley Technical College, and the River Falls Economic Development Corporation. The Center opened in early 2018 after years of planning.
Sheri encouraged our group to make use of the resource and help her and her team to increase awareness of the potential that SCV BIC has for small businesses in our area.