"I live in Church Point, I'm a home based business, so sometimes I just do need to be closer," says Chris LeBas, who owns his company Exterior Cleaning Services. Chris has been a member with the Opportunity Machine for years now and he says the experience has rung true to the name, giving him endless opportunities to do business in a way that fits his needs.
"I'm able to go in, work at a desk and have wifi where I do my computer work. If I need to interview someone or meet with a client they have meeting rooms, they have conference rooms, whatever you need," says LeBas.
He's one of more than 80 business owners who takes advantage of those services, and with construction underway for a new space, the Opportunity Machine will have room to serve more businesses and connect more people in a high traffic location.
"This time next year the Opportunity Machine will be all moved into their new location on Jefferson, and those 80ish businesses who are members will be coming to work in Downtown Lafayette each day," says Anita Begnaud, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority.
This means more foot traffic and more dollars spent in the downtown district, plus beautification via renovation of an old space.
"The building has been vacant for a few years now so its going to put a large scale building back into use and it's going to inject positive energy not only into that building but into downtown as a whole," says Begnaud.
The space is expected to be complete in the early months of 2021.