A Strong Showing at the May 15 Community Forum: Shaping the Talent Gateway Hub Together

On the evening of May 15, the Talent Community Center was buzzing with energy, ideas, and collaboration as over 50 community members, business owners, and local leaders came together to help shape the future of the proposed Talent Gateway Hub.

Hosted by the Talent Business Alliance, the forum was a powerful step forward in visioning a space built by and for the Talent community. The Gateway Hub is envisioned as a vibrant, multi-use space to support everything from food entrepreneurship and small business growth to local events and community education.

A huge thank you to the local businesses that generously provided food for the forum:

🍕🥗 Pizza by Morrtons Too & salad by Sweet Beet Station!

Highlights from the Evening:

🗣️ Community Voices

The heart of the forum was a participatory session where attendees shared their ideas and priorities for the Gateway Hub by adding ideas and feedback to large over-arching concept boards compiling information about the various parts of the projects.

Common themes covered in the presentation and supported by community ideas included:

• A year-round indoor/outdoor marketplace for local produce and goods

• A shared commercial kitchen to support food startups and cooking education

• Business incubator services to nurture new and growing business ventures

• A central gathering place that promotes learning and connection

📊 Early Concepts, Real Feedback

The Talent Business Alliance presented preliminary programming ideas and conceptual information about the early stages of this project, sparking dialogue and community input that will directly influence the project’s next steps, which include conducting a feasibility study. 

🤝 A Shared Vision

There was a clear sense of momentum and shared purpose in the room. Community members added critical insights to the project concepts and left inspired and eager to stay engaged with the future planning sessions.

This forum was a reminder of what makes Talent special: the creativity, generosity, and commitment of the community - from residents, business owners, volunteers, and emerging entrepreneurs. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and shared their vision!

Missed the event? You can still get involved! Learn more at talentbusinessalliance.org/gateway-hub or email us at info@talentbusinessalliance.org to stay in the loop.

Let’s build something extraordinary—together.

The Gateway Hub: Where Opportunity Meets Talent!