RI Foundation Awards $50,000 to Launch Bristol Business Incubator

BRISTOL, RI — Tinker|Bristol will use a $50,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation to jumpstart the development of a nonprofit manufacturing incubator and makerspace in Bristol’s historic manufacturing district where the East Bay community can tinker, innovate and create products in a collaborative environment.

Serving manufacturers, entrepreneurs, businesses, hobbyists and makers of all stripes, Tinker|Bristol will offer affordable access to shared space, rapid prototyping equipment, tools, 3-D printers and technologies. Drawing on an extensive network of makers and manufacturers in the Northeast, co-founders Todd Thomas and Andrea Rounds developed this concept with a committee of East Bay community leaders.

“Our concept is to embed a manufacturing incubator in the collaborative culture of a makerspace from day one, which is different from innovation centers that are launched exclusively as either business incubators or members-only workshops,” said Thomas. “We think this may be unique in New England, certainly in Rhode Island.”

The goal is to design a scalable, replicable proof of concept for stimulating grassroots manufacturing and applied product development in Rhode Island. Providing a streamlined pathway from R+D to the marketplace, the Tinker project aligns with strategic initiatives to revitalize manufacturing in Rhode Island and create jobs.

“Our plan for growing Rhode Island’s economy is to build on our existing strengths and resources. Rhode Island was a manufacturing powerhouse for generations and manufacturing continues in the East Bay – specifically in the advanced composites and marine technology industries. Tinker|Bristol is working at the grassroots level to harness the talents of the entire community to forge a thriving economic future, showing we’re all in this together,” said Gov. Gina Raimondo.

During the Industrial Revolution, East Bay innovators played a critical role in developing new products, technologies and processes that spawned steam mills, textile factories and marine trades along the east shore of Narragansett Bay.

“Today East Bay is a center of excellence for the advanced composites industry and offers a fertile environment for piloting this initiative,” said Nathan Calouro, chairman of the Bristol Town Council. “Our town recently developed a detailed plan for growing our economy that encourages innovative and collaborative enterprises just like this.”

Tinker|Bristol will lease the space from Isaac Shalom, whose properties in Bristol and Warren, known to locals as the “handkerchief factories,” manufactured the iconic red paisley scarves that are de rigueur for any cowboy costume. “My family has been manufacturing textiles for three generations,” said Shalom.

The space in the Bristol Industrial Park is located on the site of the National Rubber Company (c1864), which became U.S. Rubber’s cable and wire division and later the Converse sneaker company. East Bay residents remember working there when it was home to Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation from 1957 to 1977. Fittingly, Preserve Rhode Island, which is dedicated to preserving and reusing old buildings, will serve as the fiscal agent while Tinker|Bristol establishes nonprofit status.

The Rhode Island Foundation’s grant will help organizers leverage funding and mobilize native talent, resources and assets to create a paradigm of innovation for all Rhode Island.

“Small business is the growth engine of the economy. East Bay’s concentrated marine trades and composites industries are a great starting point for expanding the state’s growing innovation network,” said Neil Steinberg, the Foundation’s CEO and president.

The Tinker project will be a collaborative enterprise, developed through an integrative design process. Collaboration and community engagement is critical to its success.

“On behalf of Todd Thomas and the Steering Committee, I want to thank all our supporters, Governor Raimondo, the Bristol Town Council and Town Administrator, the Rhode Island Foundation, Preserve Rhode Island, Isaac Shalom and everyone who has helped us get to this point,” said co-founder Andrea Rounds. “We look forward to working with you and our statewide partners to get Rhode Island tinkering again and ignite a new Industrial Revolution.”

Leave a comment

Avatar About the Author: The Rhode Island Small Business Journal is a printed monthly magazine and an online resource for the aspiring and start-up entrepreneur and small business owner.

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider