Along with providing services to help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses, a Grand Junction facility hosts award-winning programs involving robotics and geographic information systems 

The GJmakerspace at the Business Incubator Center hosts the Hi Fives robotics team. The team of high school students designs, builds and programs robots for competition while promoting science, technology, engineering and math activities.

The Hi Fives and an alliance with two other teams won a regional competition in Denver. The Hi Fives won the gracious professionalism award at a regional competition in Utah and a wild card berth to the World Championships in Houston. Competing against a total of 450 teams from 13 counties, the Hi Fives won the imagery award for their division.

The GJmakerspace also hosts a program offer training to teachers and students on geographic information systems and other topics.

Heidi Ragsdale established the GeoMaker Institute with a grant from the National Geographic Society.

Ragsdale received the 2022 GeoTech Center lifetime achievement award in geospatial education and will accept the recognition at the 2022 GeoEd Conference and Exploratorium in June.

Ragsdale is a certified geospatial educator, National Geographic certified educator and mentor and teacher advisory council member with National Geographic. She’s also a space exploration educator crew Orion member with Space Center Houston, a Space Foundation teacher liaison and solar system ambassador.

The GJmakerspace offers equipment, classes and other resources to help entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, artists and others to develop products and services.

The Business Incubator Center incubator program and commercial kitchen offers low-cost space and shared services for businesses. A revolving loan fund offers access to capital to small businesses. The center also oversees a program offering tax credits for capital projects. 

Over the past year, the center was involved in the launch of 28 companies, nearly $9.7 million in revenue, the creation and retention of 244 jobs and the funding of 18 businesses.