The Distillery Labs innovation hub in downtown Peoria enters a second year looking to build on its initial momentum.
Executive director Doug Cruitt says the small business incubator remains committed to its mission of helping emerging entrepreneurs develop their ideas and bring them to reality.
“Growth and learning and connectedness really would be the three themes that we felt over the last year,” said Cruitt.
“We’re seeing more and more founders come out from the shadows, if you will, that have been tinkering by themselves in their garage or basement. They are now aware of us, and then we’re able to support them and connect them with the resources they need.”
Cruitt said Distillery Labs managed to accomplish plenty since the facility at 201 SW Adams St. opened its doors.
“We’ve really connected in a meaningful way with more than 250 startup founders, every industry, every stage of the journey,” he said. “Within 12 months, a small handful of those combined to raise over $1.5 million to take their vision, their dream, to the next level.”
Established in 2020 as a part of the Illinois Innovation Network, Distillery Labs holds the unique distinction of being the network’s only hub not tied to the state university system.
The 30,000 square-foot co-working center boasts lab space, a commercial kitchen, office areas, a 3D printer, and other amenities aimed at helping local founders get a business off the ground and running.
Distillery Labs finished July by celebrating its one-year anniversary with a celebration at the workspace and neighboring Fulton Plaza. Cruitt said the community feedback has been rewarding and inspiring.
“We had a lot of activity going on, and that excitement about activities like this downtown was a resounding, ‘Yes, we want more of that,’” he said. “A lot of new faces came in the door during our one-year anniversary, which is wonderful; we love to see new faces.
“We’ve had various spotlights on founders, where even some got a little bit emotional talking about [how] they came in with a literal idea, nothing more than that. And now they have a much clearer vision of where they can go with it and the possibilities.”
Cruitt said close to 50 organizations, both for profit and not-for-profit, have been able to use space at Distillery Labs for hosting collaborative events and educational seminars.
“The connections made here really gives us confidence and excitement about year number two. Now, we really move that momentum and that velocity forward in a big, big way,” he said.
“We’ve cast a wide net. We want to become aware of all the founders, the dreamers, the doers in the area, and then we want to create more intentional pathways for some of our areas strengths, which would be health tech and ag tech.”
Cruitt said a four-week boot camp planned for this fall will explore specific pathways for getting health tech entrepreneurs develop scalable business models. They also have plans to launch “Café Distilled” in the lobby to put a spotlight on local food businesses, he said.
He also points out the application period is open for the upcoming “gAlpha” venture-creation workshop program from startup accelerator firm gener8tor.
Cruitt said he’s optimistic all the programming Distillery Labs offers and the startups it's able to help launch will grow their recognition and boost the region’s reputation in the business innovation community.
“We continue to hear, as people walk through the building for the first time, ‘I can’t believe this is in Peoria,’ and we get that,” he said. “That’s the narrative we want to change, so that in the future people will say, ‘Of course, this is in Peoria.’”
