WGA has an established track record helping those in the private and public sectors.  The case studies provide here as well as the case study overviews demonstrate our ability to help you succeed.  Our staff has a diverse skill set which enables us to provide comprehensive services to real estate and economic development clients.  The following three case studies illustrate the value William Gauger & Associates has been able to create for our business incubator clients.

Business Incubator Case Study 1:
Rural Business Incubator Planning & Development
 
Impoverished local residents in a rural area needed assistance to raise their standard of living.  A County Industrial Development Authority, keenly aware of this need, decided to implement a business incubator to help. It originally hired a consultant whose recommendations for site selection, targeted business sectors, and focus in the “life sciences” fell wide of the mark.  As a result, the project stalled and none of the Authorities’ objectives were met.  William Gauger & Associates was called in to re-evaluate the situation and turn around the ailing business incubator.  Our goal was to reposition the project for timely delivery of pragmatic, small business services.
 
Before anything could be done we needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the area and its residents’ needs.  To do this, we conducted thorough market analysis including a demographic profile of county residents, assessment of key business sectors, and comprehensive inventory of significant county assets.  Our research indicated negligible economic growth in the area as a result of low education and training levels among county residents. There were no colleges or universities nearby and a lack of basic infrastructure to support educational needs.
 
WGA conducted market and feasibility studies and recommended a new approach with work product, resources, and guidance.  This would enable the IDA business incubator to provide small business training, education, and access to resources through a network of partnerships.  We developed a blueprint for construction of a virtual business incubator enabling the IDA to build partnerships and provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with resources during the early stages of incubator planning and development.  We also offered site selection services, created a development plan, and delivered multiple project proformas based on alternative structures. 
 
Our plan fostered the growth of the small business community by providing entrepreneurs and small businesses with the essential skills they needed. It also minimized upfront costs for the IDA while maximizing deliverable resources as a result of WGA’s efforts to develop a network of partnerships with organizations having similarly aligned goals. A system was put in place for incubator staff to track client successes and failures as well as larger business sector growth trends in the County.
 
Further discussions and market studies led to the decision to pursue development of a 20,000 square foot facility to further enhance economic development in the area.
 

Business Incubator Case Study 2:
Business Incubator / Technology Accelerator Advisory Services

A south Florida Technology Accelerator wanted to attract advanced technology startup enterprises through the establishment of a business incubator. It did not plan to provide amenities like wet labs or light production facilities, which increased the challenge associated with its goal.  The Accelerator called in William Gauger & Associates for help.
 
WGA performed market studies to determine target tenants based on the identification of key industry growth sectors.  We conducted feasibility studies to determine market demand for the kind of business incubator our client wanted to develop, the need for business accelerator services, current supply/demand gaps, and anticipated absorption rates.  We also addressed current and projected market lease rates.
 
Our team provided best practices recommendations for accelerator products and services based on the needs of the target industry sectors we identified including amenities, products, and services.  We offered legal guidance during the selection of the board of directors and drafted articles and bylaws as well as standard lease terms structured to mitigate the inherent risks entailed with serving startup ventures.
 
William Gauger & Associates provided a development plan and multiple project proformas.  We supplied financial projections of incubator operations including tailored financial models for ongoing performance tracking. We armed the Technology Accelerator with all the information it needed to proceed.


Business Incubator Case Study 3:
Business Incubator Programs and Workshops

A nonprofit community organization with a site and significant financial resources needed help transforming its current business assistance program into a business incubator offering comprehensive services.  William Gauger & Associates was called in to identify business sectors that represented growth opportunities and potentially fill essential supply gaps for underserved residents.
 
We conducted studies, performed market analyses, and held interviews with community stakeholders.  Based on this work we were able to provide recommendations for incubator products and services to facilitate community outreach.  We suggested the incubator provide workshops to serve entrepreneurs and small business clients with essential skills to grow their business.
We developed and implemented a formal marketing campaign for the business incubator launch.  Our team conducted a number of small business workshops that coincided with the launch and focused on the fundamentals of business organization and operations as well as an overview of the market and small business opportunities our team had identified. We handled all outreach and public relations for WGA workshops.
 
Workshop participants received a workshop guidebook with standard documents required for business formation, additional sample legal documents, and multiple examples of formal business plans and business planning financial models.  We showed them how to take advantage of important services including SBA and affordable housing programs.  They also learned how to identify nonprofit organizations offering assistance to small minority businesses.
 
The business incubator web site became a community forum for small business networking and exchange of ideas.