The Carver Innovation Center officially opened to the public on May 13 as the newest co-working and development space in Forest Park. The Carver Center is an offshoot of the Joseph Business School, the nonprofit educational arm of Living Word Christian Center, which owns the Forest Park Plaza mall.
“There’s an infinite amount of opportunities waiting and so we need a center now,” said Bill Winston, pastor of Living Word and founder of the Joseph School, at the grand opening on May 9. “We’re going to take this center and drive things to this center that will create employment opportunities that can lift the burden off some of these poor communities. We can actually bring jobs in there and have it so there’s 100 percent employment for everybody who wants to work.”
The center is named after George Washington Carver, the American botanist and inventor famous for promoting consumption and use of the peanut. It aims to offer creators, small businesses and hobbyists creative problem-solving and product development support, as well as access, for a fee, to a 3D Printer; a Universal Laser System, which allows people to cut and design wood, stone, glass and more; and a vinyl cutter, according to a release. Design and equipment workshops will be offered through the center, located at 7600 Roosevelt Road, on evenings and Saturdays.
The Carver Center is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Day passes for the center cost $25; 10-day passes cost $150; and monthly passes cost $300. Learn more at CarverInnovationCenter.com.
Nona Tepper
