The Spark Center will occupy an open area on the ground floor of the new library, providing working spaces, resources and plenty of room for classes and consultations.
Laura Caroon | Spark Center
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
As final touches are being added to the new downtown library and community center, one of its planners is laying the groundwork to throw business owners for a loop.
Former city council member Laura Caroon has been working out the details for the Spark Center. To be located in the heart of The Loop, the business destination is planned to offer entrepreneurs – both experienced business owners and those considering a start-up – the resources they need to help their enterprises soar.
“When people are seeking information, they already turn to the library,” Caroon says. “We’re planning to build on that with all the resources they need, plus local experts addressing the topics they need most on a regular basis.
“And there will undoubtedly be more. We’re just putting the beginning framework together. We’ll see how it works and adjust as we go along.”
An open area on the main floor of the library has been set aside to accommodate The Spark Center. Business reference materials will be housed there. Meeting rooms will be available at no cost for groups of various sizes, and one entire side of the area is furnished with semi-private spaces for co-working. Wifi will be available, as it is throughout the library itself.
The Spark Center and its services were spurred by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Caroon, who employed by the MSUM Foundation as assistant director of engagement, has been charged with planning for the center. She’s been working on it ever since. In December, the city council engaged her through her company, The Luminarie, to manage the center and its programming.
She plans to work with other agencies with similar agendas – the Small Business development Center, the West Central Initiative, M State, the North Dakota Women’s Business Center – to provide space to work with clients. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” she says. “Instead, we’ll be able to provide a place for them to continue their work with Moorhead and other clients.
Caroon has been involved with planning for The Loop since she served one term on the council, beginning in 2020. “During my very first meeting after the election, we sent plans for the library/community center to the Legislature, asking them to approve seeking the local option sales tax that now funds it,” she says. When St. Paul approved holding a local election on the tax measure, she served on the mayor’s task force to approve it. She chaired the media committee during 2022’s Yes 56560 campaign to enact the local sales tax of half of one percent. Local voters approved it that November by a resounding margin of 64.37%. At the same time, she served on the boards of the local and Lake Agassiz Regional Library and helped to flesh out the vision.
“It’s going to become the hub for growing our business community,” she predicts. “There’s nothing like it outside of the Twin Cities. Something that’s different about it, here in the F-M area, is that we are truly Minnesota-focused. In the back of my mind, I see this helping Moorhead really get on the map for Minnesota. I want St. Paul to see us as part of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Caroon is well prepared to understand the needs and issues of new and growing businesses. Eight years ago, she and Danyel Moe, both working in Concordia College’s communications and marketing department, created Ladyboss, an organization for women in business. When its first seminar sold out the 50 seats that were available in two weeks, they went on to create an organization focused on the issues faced by women entrepreneurs. They formed a partnership with RR46/Flint Advertising in 2020. She joined the MSUM Foundation in 2023.
Caroon expects to begin moving furnishings and reference materials into the new facility in February. The Loop is expected to open to the public in late April.
