Where startups start

The Mill is the heart of southern Indiana’s startup ecosystem and its largest coworking space. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit center for entrepreneurship in Bloomington, funded by membership and event space fees, as well as by generous donations from corporate sponsors and angel investors from south-central Indiana.

Lounge area with chalk wall and leather seating
Our mission is to help launch and accelerate startups.
Our vision is to become Indiana’s center of gravity for entrepreneurship.

Learn about the impact we’re making in our 2022 annual report!

Our PROGRAMMING

As the center for entrepreneurship in Bloomington, The Mill provides critical access, first and foremost to a community of peers and mentors, and secondly to capacity-building resources and startup capital. Our programs help accelerate innovative ideas and technologies into business concepts. 

We began offering programming for startups and entrepreneurs in 2017. In November 2018, our membership-based coworking facility opened. Entrepreneurs, innovators, creatives, remote workers, techies, and others benefit from like-minded community, programming, and mentoring. With financial support from the City of Bloomington and the Redevelopment Commission for the building renovation and our launch, we have a stated goal of becoming self-sufficient by the end of year three.

Today, The Mill is 19,000 square feet of beautifully renovated, century-year-old factory space in the downtown Trades District. We are home to hundreds of members and dozens of companies. Our diverse members include innovators creating startups and small businesses as well as independent freelancers, creatives, and remote workers, for example. Some choose The Mill for our coworking amenities and the great community. Others join for specialized entrepreneurial support: for accelerating their startups, pitching to investors, and securing capital, for instance. We serve members, our thriving startup community, and the public at large.

The Mill would not be possible without the generous support of our cornerstone sponsors. See all sponsors here.

Cornerstone sponsors

City of Bloomington logo
cook group logo
indiana university logo

Staff

Pat East

Pat East

Executive Director

Bram Boyd

Bram Boyd

Program Manager

Nick Faulkenberg

Nick Faulkenberg

Venue & Booking Manager

Martina Fausto

Martina Fausto

Venture Analyst, Flywheel Fund

John Fernandez

John Fernandez

Senior Vice President, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships

Kelsey Fitzgerald

Kelsey Fitzgerald

Membership Manager

Brian Hatton

Brian Hatton

Venture Partner, Flywheel Fund

Gretchen Knapp

Gretchen Knapp

Head of Operations & Marketing

ANDY LEHMAN

ANDY LEHMAN

Head of Accelerator Programming

Cy Megnin

Cy Megnin

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

through Velocities

Richard Millunchick

Richard Millunchick

Startup Coach

Haley Pritchett

Haley Pritchett

Code/IT Academy Program Manager

Scott Reynolds

Scott Reynolds

General Counsel, Flywheel Fund

Careers

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we have a standing policy of nondiscrimination at The Mill. We respect the unique and diverse perspectives of all employees. We accord all qualified persons an equal opportunity for employment or promotion without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status or condition protected by federal, state, or local law.

HEAD OF MARKETING

ABOUT THE MILL

The Mill is an entrepreneurship center. Operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, our mission is to launch and accelerate startups, and our vision is to become Indiana’s center of gravity for entrepreneurship.

To achieve that, we’ve built several programs that build our startup ecosystem. Among them are Bloomington Remote (remote worker recruitment), Code/IT Academy (code school for the unemployed and underemployed), Crossroads (pitch competition), Flywheel Fund (startup fund), Cohorts (pre-accelerators for industry and university), K12 (entrepreneurship education for elementary, middle, and high school), and Startup Summer (paid internship for student founders). We’re also marketing and developing the Trades District, 12 acres in downtown Bloomington, into an innovation district.

Five years ago, we also renovated a century-old building from the Showers Brothers Furniture Company and transformed it into 19,000 square feet that is built for the 21st century. Already a driver of innovation in our community, the building is home to 50 companies and 350 members. They’re a crucial part of the infrastructure we need – talent, capital, and training – to help Bloomington and Indiana evolve in the digital economy.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Mill is adding a full-time Head of Marketing to our team. This is a new-ish role on the team. We’re separating the responsibilities of our current Head of Operations & Marketing into two positions.

To continue fulfilling our mission and marching toward our vision, the Head of Marketing needs to ensure our key audiences know about The Mill. We do that by sharing remarkable stories about our founders and our programming. We do that by:

  • Creating and marketing content – There are so many great stories from The Mill to share. We’re flexible on how we do that whether that’s the written word, video, Instagram, or other channels.
  • Designing and maintaining gorgeous websites – For our key programs, we’ve built dedicated sites. You’ll be tasked with updating content, building new pages, and when appropriate, redesigning the sites. Among them are dimensionmill.org, bloomingtonremote.com, codeitacademy.org, crossroadspitch.com, and flywheelfund.vc.
  • Growing our email and social platforms – The driver to our founders’ successes is our programming. The key to our programming’s success is ensuring everyone knows about them. Growing our email lists, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook ensure folks engage with The Mill, sign up for programs, and attend our events.

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

  • You think about marketing with both lobes. The left brain is focused on analytics and direct response while the right brain is focused on creativity and brand identity. Like most folks, one side is probably stronger so you need to be comfortable learning whatever needs to be done and determining the “minimum effective dose” for them.
  • You are KPI-driven and have good intuition. You look at numbers and data and use them to guide your decisions. You also use your judgment to make decisions based on instinct and figure out what needs to be done, especially when there’s little data or we need to innovate.
  • You have 5 years of experience in marketing. You might have specialized in 1-2 areas but you have a bit of experience in everything – websites, video, email, writing, graphic design, analytics, events, annual reports, social, et. al. On a small team, the organization needs you to do a bit of everything, so you’re a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Bonus points if you come from the startup world.
  • You are self-starting and comfortable in ambiguity. You bring clarity to situations and you simplify the complicated. You actually prefer working in these situations. You have a big action bias. You’re decisive but your decisions aren’t hasty. You’re coachable too – you’re one of those people who likes it if your friends tell you that you’ve got a piece of food in your teeth.
  • Your follow-through is impeccable. If you say you’re going to do something, you do it. If someone asks you to do something, you don’t need an engraved invitation. Your teammates – and our founders – can count on you 100% of the time to deliver regardless of the circumstances.

As a top performer in this role, you are 100% focused on the customer, and you’ll work closely with our Executive Director to execute our marketing strategy. The startup world is always changing and you should be eager and willing to tackle new experiences and situations.

BENEFITS

  • Annual salary is $75,000 paid twice monthly via direct deposit
  • 3 weeks of PTO in year 1, 4 weeks in year 2 and beyond
  • Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
  • 401(k) with company match
  • Use of company MacBook Pro
  • Performance reviews twice annually
  • Opportunity for raises twice annually
  • No bureaucracy – direct and regular contact with our Executive Director
  • You’ll work in Downtown Bloomington in a visually stunning building that seamlessly blends old and new, highlighted with exposed red brick and original wood floors 

HOW TO APPLY

Email a cover letter and resume as PDFs to pat at dimensionmill dot org. This is your chance to describe why working at The Mill would be a great fit for you. Include the information below:

  1. A short bio / introduction
  2. Why this position at The Mill interests you
  3. Why you love startups
  4. Why you love our mission and vision
  5. Let us know how you learned about The Mill and the position

Applicant review is ongoing with a preference for candidates who apply by Thursday, October 19.

Due to the expected number of applications, we cannot reply to every applicant. If you make it beyond the first round though, you can expect regular communications from us.

Thank you for your interest in The Mill. Best of luck!

 

 

FACILITIES MANAGER

ABOUT THE MILL

The Mill is Bloomington’s nonprofit center for coworking and entrepreneurship. We operate out of a 19,000-square-foot century-old building downtown and have over 350 members who use The Mill regularly. Our building includes open work areas with desks, conference rooms, private offices, a kitchenette with café seating, a large events hall, and an outdoor patio and landscaping. The public may rent our space for wedding receptions, business presentations, and social mixers. The building is used weekdays, weeknights, and weekends, all year-round.

The Mill is also leading the development of the new Tech Center, which will be a 22,000-square-foot Class A office building located across the street, projected to open in early 2025. The Mill and its staff will manage and maintain that building as well as The Mill.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Facilities Manager ensures that our historic facility and exterior grounds are clean, inviting, safe, and well-maintained for members, staff, and guests. The successful candidate will be very experienced with doing hands-on maintenance and repair, managing contractors for special projects, and ensuring long-term building health. They will take pride in maintaining our beautiful space to a high standard, proactively monitor and address facility and custodial needs, and communicate with vendors, service providers, members, and Mill staff in a timely, positive, and professional manner. The position includes daily custodial tasks to prepare The Mill for opening; ongoing maintenance and repairs; periodic and seasonal tasks inside and outside of the building; coordination and oversight of outsourced cleaning, specialized repairs, and maintenance; and odd jobs.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead all maintenance and repairs.

  • Take full ownership of The Mill’s interior and exterior appearance, function, and safety.
  • Create and execute an annual plan for preventative maintenance and long-term building health, taking into account the unique needs of a historic building.
  • Complete exterior seasonal work to ensure the grounds are always clean, attractive, and safe: order and spread mulch; weed and mow; seal and maintain wooden benches; bring tables and umbrellas in and out; schedule snow plowing.
  • Inspect facility and grounds regularly and proactively address needs.
  • Respond to requests for maintenance in a timely, courteous manner.
  • Perform annual maintenance tasks such as sealing wood floors, concrete floors, and countertops; seasonal deep cleaning; and other tasks as needed.
  • Respond to emergencies and make unscheduled repairs.
  • Identify specialized repairs to outsource, secure vendor bids, and monitor quality, timing, and execution of accepted bid.
  • Track and maintain electronic records on facility maintenance and repairs.
  • Follow budgetary and financial processes.

Prepare the building for daily operations.

  • Before opening, take out trash, restock bathrooms, clean up kitchen area, make coffee, and so on. In winter, salt or shovel paths in snow as needed.
  • Inspect facility and remediate issues as needed (i.e., clean glass walls, wipe up spills, spackle holes, touch up paint, etc.).
  • Monitor performance of outsourced bi-weekly night cleaning, and communicate with cleaners on any issues.
  • Manage operational inventory. Maintain, order, and restock building supplies, such as toiletries, cleaning supplies, equipment replacements/repairs, paper products, and other essentials.
  • As needed, assist Venue & Booking Manager to prepare conference rooms and event hall for events (folding chairs, tables, stage, etc.).

Manage equipment.

  • Serve as point person for HVAC issues.
  • Install and monitor operating status of audio/visual equipment such as smart tvs, HDMI cables, teleconferencing equipment, and so on.
  • Ensure machines and appliances (printers, ice maker, fridge, dishwasher, etc.) run smoothly and without disruption in supplies or usage.
  • Maintain printer supplies and ink, monitor printer status for updates, manage relationship with vendor.
  • Understand and operate all custodial equipment and chemicals. Maintain tools and equipment in proper working order.

Ensure safety.

  • Wear protective equipment according to requirements of the job taking place.
  • Meet safety regulations.
  • Run required periodic safety tests and coordinate required inspections.
  • Keep storage and working space clean and organized.

Collaborate and communicate.

  • Communicate, prioritize, and review tasks and progress with supervisor.
  • Work with supervisor to establish budget needs, including identifying and applying for grant and funding opportunities for historic building maintenance, repair, and improvement.
  • Communicate with the building owner, the City of Bloomington, as needed.
  • Periodically monitor utility usage, efficiency, and costs (electric, gas, water, solar, trash) and address anomalies with supervisor.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

  • Wide-ranging, hands-on building maintenance and custodial skills including painting, sealing, light electrical, plumbing, and so on.
  • Significant experience maintaining a building and managing budgets and contractors
  • Attention to detail, a strong work ethic, and problem-solving skills
  • A positive attitude and willingness to perform a wide variety of tasks
  • Strong communication skills
  • Competence in Microsoft Office and computer skills
  • Ability to start work at 7 or 7:30 am before building opens at 8:30 am
  • Ability to read and follow chemical advisory labels
  • Ability to work independently while managing time and resources
  • Ability to lift up to 70lbs and perform duties calling for repetitive motion required on a daily basis, which may include bending, pushing, pulling, reaching, climbing, squatting, and lifting

BENEFITS

  • Annual salary is $50,000-55,000, paid twice monthly via direct deposit
  • 3 weeks of PTO in year 1, 4 weeks in year 2 and beyond
  • Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
  • 401(k) with company match after the first year of employment
  • Use of company MacBook Pro
  • Performance reviews twice annually
  • Opportunity for raises twice annually

HOW TO APPLY

Upload a resume and a cover letter here, please.

Please address your cover letter to Gretchen Knapp. This is your chance to describe why working at The Mill would be a great fit for you. Include:

  • A short bio / introduction
  • Why this position interests you
  • How you learned about The Mill and the position

Applicant review is on-going with a preference for candidates who apply by Sept 5.

Due to the expected number of applications, we cannot reply to every applicant. If you make it beyond the first round, you can expect regular communications from us. Thank you for your interest in The Mill, and best of luck!

Job Type: Full time

Pay range: $50,000-55,000

Board of Directors

The Mill is committed to being a center for entrepreneurs, led by entrepreneurs. For that reason, two-thirds of our board members represent technology- and innovation-driven companies, including Mill members and graduates. Our other board members bring expertise in economic development, local government, higher education and venture capital.

  • Anne McCombe, Chair | Technology Executive*
  • Geng Wang, Vice Chair | Co-Founder and CEO, Civic Champs*
  • Karin St. John, Secretary/Treasurer | COO, St. John Associates*
  • Ravi Bhatt | Co-Founder and CEO, Folia*
  • Jennifer Pearl, Past Vice Chair | President, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation*
  • Ben Swanson | Co-Founder, Secretly Group*
  • Michelle Cole | Technology Executive
  • John Hamilton | Mayor, City of Bloomington
  • Cindy Kinnarney | North Region President, German American Bank
  • Beka Mech | Product Leader, Acadis, Vector Solutions
  • Tina Peterson | President and CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives and the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County
  • Brooke Pyne | Vice President, Technology Engagement, IEDC
  • Mike Trotzke | CEO, Cheddar
  • Adam Gross | Executive Director Ivy+ Career Link, Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington
  • Derek Whitley | Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Flamel.ai
  • Jason Whitney | Vice President of Venture Development, IU Ventures, and Executive Director, IU Angel Network
  • Reagan Frank, Student Board Member | President of Epsilon Nu Tau Fraternity, and Director of Communications for Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization at IU

*Executive Committee members

OUr historic building

Our century-old restored building has a long history of significant economic contributions to the community. In a way, it has always been a center for entrepreneurship in Bloomington.

Founded in 1869, the Showers Brothers Company had an illustrious influence on Bloomington history. The Mill was originally built in 1915 as its sawmill factory (known as the Dimension Mill). At its peak in the 1920s, Showers produced more than half of all the furniture in the United States—more than 700,000 pieces of furniture a year! Moreover, it was one of the first US furniture factories to employ women, as well as more African Americans than others of its time. And as a cultural shift toward homeownership spread through the nation, Showers Brothers saw great success.

The onset of the Great Depression changed the course for the Showers Brothers, however. But their legacy lives on in some of Bloomington’s most iconic buildings, including The Mill, with its unique sawtooth roof and original brick walls. Indiana University owned and used the building from 1959-1994, and then the City of Bloomington purchased it. The Dimension Mill sat vacant for many years, until a new vision for it crystallized. Ultimately, the City of Bloomington took a bold step forward and invested millions in its renovation.

Today the Showers factory complex has become the Trades District, Bloomington’s 12-acre technology park. It’s part of an economic revolution here, toward entrepreneurship and technology. Bloomington celebrated a game-changing addition to the Trades District with the launch of The Mill in 2018.

Our beautiful building represents both a preservation of historical legacy and a modern revitalization of Bloomington’s business scene. The Mill is a living icon of Bloomington’s past, present, and future, guided by its vision to become the center of coworking and entrepreneurship in Indiana.