High-Tech Infrastructure: The Downtown Canton Innovation District provides businesses with the platform and infrastructure to refine and grow your business idea.
Follow the Fiber: Connection to the gigabit internet connection is one of the top benefits to have your business in the Downtown Canton Innovation District. By partnering with the City of Canton we will create signage placed along the fiber route that leads people directly to the 12-block district and reception area where people will be able to connect to the internet and experience the incredible speed of fiber. The area will also have brochures talking about the district and a revolving group of volunteers to staff the area.
Rent Subsidies: The Downtown Canton Innovation District offers some new tenants financial assistance with their rent so that they can use their funds to build their business.
Networking: Beyond the opportunities to network with coworkers, The Downtown Canton Innovation District’s vision is to become the regional home for networking events where other businesses can gain feedback and insights from businesses visionaries within the district.
Your Creative Space: The Downtown Canton Innovation District is an environment that fosters collaboration and interactive dialog among members organizations, creating opportunities to share benefits from coworkers’ and district tenant expertise.
Wide and Deep Support System: The city of Canton has a wide variety of support systems to help companies build their business. Organizations such as the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Downtown Canton Partnership and Stark County Minority Business Association provide a variety of tools to help you attract talent and promote your organization. Benefits include networking, advocacy, public policy, workforce and education, and business attraction, retention and expansion. In addition, businesses in the Downtown Canton Innovation District also can tap into the minds of the best and the brightest from a large selection of thriving businesses.
Downtown Amenities: Downtown Canton is more than the Football Hall of Fame. The Innovation District provides businesses with access to vendors as well as a wide variety of restaurants, coffee shops and lounges to entertain current and prospective clients as well as provide employees with options for a lunch just steps away from their office. The district also offers entertainment options such as the Canton Comedy Boom and First Friday—a walkable celebration of the arts along with live entertainment.
Innovation District Leadership Network: Attracting companies to the Downtown Canton innovation District requires businesses and community organizations that will evangelize the benefits of working in the district. Made up of leaders in the community such as both Canton and Stark County government, representatives of the 7 higher educational institutions in the Canton area, Visit Canton, Canton City School District, the Canton and Stark County Chambers of Commerce will help to guide the marketing of the district with their deep knowledge of the area.
World-class Connectivity: The Downtown Canton Innovation District boasts the fastest gigabit internet connections available anywhere including direct access to OARnet and The Ohio State University supercomputer to facilitate complex data analytics.
Canton Repository: Working with newspaper on a series on the Downtown Canton Innovation District. This series will start with an article on the district itself and then spotlight current businesses already taking advantage of being a part of the district.
