The Mill to Celebrate Renovations Bringing New Space and Capabilities for Bloomington's Entrepreneurs and Startups

The Mill, Bloomington's hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, will celebrate the completion of a major renovation project on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET. The celebration will be held at The Mill, in the heart of Bloomington's Trades District.

The renovations strengthen The Mill's ability to serve Bloomington's entrepreneurs and startups with improved collaboration spaces, 30 additional individual workspaces, three new private offices, and a greatly enhanced event space featuring upgraded technology, acoustics, and privacy.

“Expanding our capacity represents another major milestone for The Mill,” said John Fernandez, Amplify Bloomington CEO. “By supporting the innovators building businesses at The Mill, we're shaping Bloomington's economic future.” The Mill, managed by Amplify Bloomington, is owned by the City of Bloomington's Redevelopment Commission, a Keystone Partner of Amplify Bloomington.

Meeting a Growing Need
Since opening in 2019 as the cornerstone of the Trades District, The Mill has become a vital piece of Bloomington's economic infrastructure. Programming at The Mill supports the growth of local businesses, attracts new companies and residents, and drives collaboration between academia, industry, and entrepreneurs. Demand for space has grown alongside its impact: membership now exceeds 390, and private offices are at 100% occupancy.

This renovation directly addresses that demand, giving early-stage and local entrepreneurs more flexible, low-cost options as their companies grow, along with more capacity to serve the remote coworkers who have always been an
important part of The Mill community.

A Milestone for the Trades District
The Mill's renovation is part of the broader Accelerating the Transformation of Bloomington's Trades District initiative, a collaboration between Indiana University, the City of Bloomington, and The Mill, supported in part by a grant to Indiana University Bloomington from Lilly Endowment Inc. The initiative is designed to grow high-demand, high-wage careers for area residents and establish the Trades District as an “innovation neighborhood” connecting entrepreneurship, housing, and community.

Event Details
What: Celebration of The Mill's renovation
When: Thursday, August 20, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET
Where: The Mill, Bloomington, Indiana
Program: Remarks from City of Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson and Indiana University Vice President for Government and Community Relations Shannon Heider, followed by a fireside chat with Simon Beverton and Michelle Cole and a session with Solution Tree CEO Dr. Cameron Rains and Paragraph partner Brad Wisler. Open networking bookends the program. Food and drink provided.

The event is free and open to the community. RSVP here: https://amplifybloomington.org/amp/