Pine Bluff, Arkansas

The Generator

Problem

Too many rural towns don't have a clear "home base." People don't know where to go to plug in, get help, or meet others. The result: fragmentation, isolation, and duplicated effort.

Solution

The Generator is an innovation hub at 435 S. Main Street in downtown Pine Bluff, run by the nonprofit Go Forward Pine Bluff out of a 1937 former community center donated by Simmons Bank and renovated for $400,000 in 2019 to 2020. It opened to the public in November 2020 and holds coworking space, a makerspace with 3D printers, a CNC router and a laser engraver, an EAST digital lab, and a 12-week entrepreneurship program.

Patterns used: Community Anchor Point