Makerspace is coming to Kimberley

Creative and technical support for startup manufacturers will soon be available in Kimberley

by Marie Milner — November 05, 2015

Colin Fitzgerald is the owner of Place Droid, an electronics manufacturer in Kimberley, B.C.

Colin Fitzgerald owns and operates a manufacturing company called Place Droid, and is building a makerspace in Kimberley, B.C. — Marie Milner photo

To support the growth of the technology industry in Kimberley, B.C., Colin Fitzgerald recently acquired a spacious building—formerly The Edge Pub & Hostel on Kimberley’s Platzl—and he is working to develop a technology hub, or makerspace, there. His own company, Place Droid, manufactures electronics for a diverse international client base.

The purpose of a makerspace is to provide the tools, space and skills that allow creative minds to convert a concept into a reality, in an environment that welcomes the untried and unusual. Makerspace is a lab, of sorts, where ideas can become products and then profits.

How does it work?

Fitzgerald said that most of the really innovative things we see today have their beginnings in makerspaces where the research and development are done. Startup companies—often just a couple of people with an idea—go to a makerspace to develop a design and get a prototype built. Once funding is in place, they can start manufacturing.

“I was one of the original members of Calgary’s ProtoSpace, and I know the founders of MakerLabs, the big makerspace in Vancouver,” Fitzgerald said. “I do a lot of work for startup technology companies, so I have the knowledge and experience to build this kind of facility.”

The makerspace vision

Fitzgerald intends for the Kimberley makerspace to start out as a co-op for sharing tools that will be available to clients on an as-needed basis. It’s a big dream, but Fitzgerald intends that eventually, clients will have access to CNC fabrication, CAD, CAM, electronics and drafting equipment for manufacturing in metal, plastic and wood. In addition, Fitzgerald intends to offer training on use of the tools and machines, with staff available to keep an eye on things or run the machinery if needed.

In mid-October, the air inside the future makerspace was filled with drywall dust as renovations proceeded, with much work still to be done to bring Fitzgerald’s plan into being. The opening of a makerspace in Kimberley, under the experienced direction of Fitzgerald, will be a welcome development for the Kootenay region.