Maker Space Boot Camp - Fall 2025

Maker Space Boot Camp

How to Start a Fab Lab or Maker Space from the Ground Up

 November 11–13, 2025
 Life Skills Academy, Independence, Kansas
(From the founders of Fab Lab ICC)

Why Attend?

On October 1, 2014, Fab Lab ICC opened in a rural southeastern Kansas town of fewer than 10,000 people. In just eight years, it grew into the largest maker space in the world serving communities under 10,000. Alongside other community initiatives, it helped spark meaningful local economic revitalization.

Now, the founders are building on that success with Life Skills Academy (LSA), powered by the Innovative Business Resource Center (IBRC)—a downtown hub that combines a community maker space, entrepreneurship center, and learning/tutoring programs.

This Boot Camp is your opportunity to learn directly from their experience and bring those lessons back to your community.

What You’ll Gain

Over 2 ½ days, you’ll discover how a maker space can:

• Strengthen entrepreneurial mindset in your community
• Support start-ups and small business growth—well beyond product prototyping
• Engage students, educators, and local organizations in hands-on innovation
• Shift community culture toward creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship

You’ll also get hands-on experience with maker tools—proving you don’t need an engineering degree to use (or manage) a space like this.

Schedule

Morning Sessions

• Tue & Wed: 9:00 AM – 11:50 AM
• Thu: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Afternoon Maker Lab

• Tue & Wed: After lunch – 5:00 PM

Wrap-up & Q&A Lunch

• Thu: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM (camp ends at 1:00 PM)

Registration Details

• Register now—pay by card or request an invoice (due November 5).
• Bring a team! Save $200 on each additional participant from your community.
• Fee includes:
• • Breakfast snacks & lunch all three days
  • Dinner Tuesday evening

Bonus: Community Insights

Hear directly from local leaders and stakeholders about how a community maker space can:

• Shift the area’s mindset toward entrepreneurship
• Contribute to economic vitality and community pride

Questions? Contact:

• Jim Correll, Executive Director, IBRC
  620-252-5349 | ✉️ jimc@ibrcenter.org
• Laura Schaid, Director, Life Skills Academy
  620-205-9288 | ✉️ lauras@ibrcenter.org