There's something about CO+HOOTS that honestly bugs your MesaZona blogger. Seriously. Just can't get excited about it - no way and no how. Just too many over-used buzzwords and way too much exaggerated hype based on a wing-and-a-prayer and a hope to build and become some kind of 'hub' to start up and spread 'the entrepreneurial spirit' to students who are not typically given entrepreneurial opportunities to startup environments creating a pipeline to help nearby Benedictine grow. Right-while ASU gets the big push --- and a new deal
. . . all this makes 'The Old Donut-Hole' unique???
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Mesa gives ASU new deal for school in downtown
East Valley Tribune-Mar 13, 2018
Giles acknowledged that downtown has made some strides in recent years following the recession, but his ultimate plan to revitalize downtown centers on the development of an Innovation District – a term coined by Washington, D.C. think tank the Brookings Institution – with a higher-education anchor __________________________________________________________________________
Mesa could be the next great spot to foster the kind of entrepreneurial community Co+Hoots has facilitated in Phoenix.?
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It could be a con, even with initial high hopes and a positive reaction at the Brookings Institute presentation "The Rise of Mesa's Innovation District" at the Mesa Arts Center when Jenny Poon appeared on the stage in The Ikeda Theater with two other women from ASU and Greater Phoenix Phoenix Economic Council, with the Brookings' presenter far left. That's John Graham at the center, Sunbelt Holdings.
Reasonable doubts arose in February after having a second, third and fourth look at this streaming video where Jenny Poon and her husband (who said nothing) sat before the Mesa City Council. Somehow the plans to partner with developer Tony Wall to fill up space in the proposed GRID project - Oops! that's 'anchor tenant' - appeared to get thrown together very quickly: he didn't even know who the group was a month before! . .
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Extract from PBJ article written by Hayley Ringle:
“We believe in the city of Mesa’s commitment to transforming its downtown into a vibrant urban core,” Poon said. “We love downtown Mesa’s already hyper-localized community and believe a Co+Hoots location that will reflect downtown Mesa’s distinctive personality will be a great fit. Among many of our goals, the Mesa location will support and bring together the area’s entrepreneurial, startup and small business community, create jobs, provide free business and technology education through our nonprofit Co+Hoots Foundation, and become a major economic driver for Mesa.”
How long have we been hearing this??? Amen,,,, Amen and Good Luck!
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Mesa Mayor John Giles announced the lease agreement during his annual State of the City address on Feb. 6. In a remark from an article by Lily Altavena , "To Giles, Co+Hoots adds an "intangible aspect" to downtown Mesa.
"When you bring a business like Co+Hoots that has a really high-energy young business people downtown, that is really going to have a ripple effect," he said.
The same day: not one but two 'spoon-fed' news raving
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azcentral-Feb 6, 2018
The agreement between the two would also create a "pipeline" of students to Benedictine, according to Poon. The Co+Hoots Foundation works to expose students who are not typically given entrepreneurial opportunities to startup environments. Giles said Benedict's location near the Grid will "help BenU ...
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Phoenix Business Journal-Feb 6, 2018
Among many of our goals, the Mesa location will support and bring together the area's entrepreneurial, startup and small business community, create jobs, provide free business and technology education through our nonprofit Co+Hoots Foundation, and become a major economic driver for Mesa.”.
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What exactly is Co+Hoots?
Co+Hoots is a co-working space in midtown Phoenix. Poon said the expansion to Mesa happened after Mesa Councilman Jeremy Whittaker visited the Phoenix location and later representatives from 3W Management visited it.
With city leaders pushing to create an innovation district, Poon said, Mesa could be the next great spot to foster the kind of entrepreneurial community Co+Hoots has facilitated in Phoenix.
"We’ve spent a lot of time there now; there’s a lot of groups fighting for a much stronger ecosystem there," she said. "They’ve got great momentum going."
The Mesa location will take up the second floor of the Grid, serving as the development's anchor tenant.
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Wednesday, March 28 - 6pm
Join us for our Monthly RAIL Meeting!
Jenny Poon, CO+HOOTS founder, will be joining us to chat about their plans for Mesa
The Nile Cafe (née Volstead)
105 W. Main Street
Downtown Mesa
6pm
Jenny Poon, CO+HOOTS founder, will be joining us to chat about their plans for Mesa
The Nile Cafe (née Volstead)
105 W. Main Street
Downtown Mesa
6pm
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