Oakdale center will nurture startup businesses

Business boosters have turned an old downtown building into a place where startup ventures can get office space and advice.

The Oakdale Innovation Center, which will launch at a gathering Thursday, will offer mentoring, computer help, marketing and other services in a former variety store on East F Street. People with ideas for businesses based in the city could use the low-cost space and free wireless connection. They also could meet potential investors.

“We’re trying to create a better foundation for entrepreneurs by providing them a set of resources that allows them to grow,” said Justin Ribeiro, a partner in Stickman Ventures of Oakdale, which will offer its computer services at the center. “We have these entrepreneurs, and they’re kind of hidden.”

The Oakdale Chamber of Commerce created the center with the help of Stickman and several other partners. It is one of numerous “business incubators” that have been created in Stanislaus County and beyond to help startups cover their initial costs.

“Having an office to go to, with people who are like-minded, helps you succeed,” said Mary Guardiola, the chamber’s chief executive officer. She added that the center could dovetail with a small-grant program that the Oakdale City Council might create for businesses.

The building has three floors, including the basement, and 23,500 square feet.

Stickman, which operates in another old building three blocks away, offers hardware, software and animation services to its clients. At the launch event, it will demonstrate sensors for light, noise and other environmental conditions.

The center’s other partners are the city of Oakdale; the Stanislaus Business Alliance; NAI Benchmark, a real estate firm; Oakdale OpenMesh, which is working on free wireless access in the city; and Google Developer Group Oakdale, which meets to discuss Google technologies.

The new site will house training that the alliance offered next door at the Gene Bianchi Community Center, said Kurtis Clark, chief innovation officer and director of its Small Business Development Center.

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Oakdale center will nurture startup businesses."