After nearly three years leading the University of Illinois Springfield’s downtown business incubator, Ben Hage’s last day at Innovate Springfield will be May 31.
Hage has been named director of the Petrick Idea Center at Illinois Wesleyan University, effective June 1. The Petrick Idea Center is set to open this fall in a 15,000-square-foot facility currently under construction on IWU’s Bloomington campus. The center, designed to support entrepreneurship and innovation, will include makerspaces, an ampitheater for pitches and workshops, and startup offices.
“To me, the Petrick Idea Center is a place where thinkers and makers get together to make cool things that are meaningful,” Hage said. “It is a cultural hub where students, alumni and community partners from all backgrounds collaborate to think and make big things.”
A search to find Hage’s replacement at Innovate Springfield will begin soon, according to Blake Wood, spokesperson for UIS.
“UIS remains committed to growing our hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in downtown Springfield,” Wood said.
Hage has led Innovate Springfield since August 2023. He said he is proud of the partnerships the organization has built with the University of Illinois System Illinois Ventures and Research Park, among others. He said Innovate Springfield will “lean on these connections” to continue to offer entrepreneurial programs such as the Startup Roadmap and Angel Flight School, as well high school academic programs such as Sangamon CEO and tech X.
Hage first met leaders from IWU at an event in Bloomington-Normal, where they shared their vision for the Petrick Center with him.
“I was intrigued by the opportunity to be part of something new and impactful,” Hage said. “What I knew about Illinois Wesleyan as an elite private liberal arts institution was also encouraging because I believe that liberal art students are excellent thinkers and makers.”
Hage said those beliefs were reinforced when he visited IWU’s campus and met the students there, who impressed him with their engagement and thoughtfulness.
“So that sealed the deal for me,” he said.