BRITE

Turning a Downtown Innovation Center Into a Regional Energy Hub

Warren has reinvented itself before. Once one of Ohio’s fastest-growing industrial cities, the community faced significant economic challenges following the decline of the steel industry. Today, new industries, technology, entrepreneurship, and remote work are creating opportunities to build the next chapter of Warren’s economy.

BRITE is uniquely positioned to help lead that transition. Its headquarters sit on historic Courthouse Square within walking distance of restaurants, apartments, the Mahoning River, and other downtown amenities. Dave Grohl Alley also runs through the facility, connecting the building to one of Trumbull County’s most recognizable destinations and creating additional opportunities for events and community activity.

The redevelopment is designed to make BRITE more than an incubator. Coworking space, a restaurant and coffee shop, training areas, laboratories, and improved collaborative spaces will create an environment where entrepreneurs, established companies, remote professionals, and workforce partners can work alongside one another.

The building itself will also become a showcase for the technologies being developed throughout Appalachia. Visitors will be able to experience electric vehicles, smart electronics, energy technologies, and other Appalachian-made innovations while startups gain access to the infrastructure and resources needed to test and demonstrate new ideas.

BRITE’s reach will extend beyond Warren. Through its participation in the At Work Appalachia coworking network and a lending library of mobile equipment, resources housed at BRITE can support entrepreneurs, workforce training, and technology demonstrations throughout Appalachian Ohio.

The goal is to create a central hub for a much larger network. By combining technology development, workforce training, entrepreneurship, coworking, and downtown activity under one roof, BRITE can help turn innovation happening throughout Appalachia into companies, careers, and investment that remain within the region.