Dave Kalista says he never needed anyone to motivate him. He’s always embraced independence and opportunity, including nine years owning a dock company in Sturgeon Bay and four years owning a garden center with his wife in Two Rivers. That makes him a serial entrepreneur, he guesses — but he’d describe himself more as a builder.
“The excitement you get from building something from the ground up,” Kalista says, “that’s the most fun.”
Through his latest venture, Growth Garage, Kalista is building up other Manitowoc County entrepreneurs so they too can experience the joy of building a business. And after less than a year in operation, his business incubator is flourishing and already poised to expand.
Completely the brainchild of Kalista, Growth Garage started with the purchase of a large but humble building in Two Rivers that could be leased to storage customers; then, using the storage business to offset costs, Kalista leased the remainder of the space to small business startups at cost. Growth Garage currently houses three business tenants at 1010 34th St., and Kalista recently acquired another property in Two Rivers so he can accommodate two more. He has a waiting list, he says.
“We ended up getting six people that wanted it right away,” says Kalista, adding that he prioritizes potential tenants’ zoning needs and how long they’ve been in business when identifying the best tenants for Growth Garage. “If I can’t offer to help them, it’s [not the right fit].”
Brian Gallagher’s business, Darkside Strength, was just a dream until Kalista responded to a Facebook post Gallagher made looking for affordable space to start a weightlifting gym along Highway 42. Gallagher is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and competitive powerlifter who had researched his ideal location and market, but was held back by cost and availability of properly-zoned commercial real estate in Two Rivers.
Since connecting with Kalista and opening Darkside Strength at Growth Garage in December, Gallagher has doubled his business month over month and has already made his lease back. Having that financial peace of mind, Gallagher says, has allowed him to focus on what he does best: training weightlifters, with a special focus on middle school and high school student-athletes, by teaching proper, traditional technique.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous because I quit my job to do this,” Gallagher says. But on top of his lease being the best deal in town, he says, he also benefits from perks like the expensive signage that was installed by Kalista.
Affordability is certainly the draw for tenants, but that’s not the only way Kalista is using Growth Garage to support entrepreneurs. Through ongoing interactions with his pier and dock clients, he has come to appreciate the wealth of knowledge retirees have, as well as their willingness to share it. That inspired him to include business mentorship in the Growth Garage blueprint; monthly meetings with mentors and business experts will be provided to tenants starting this summer.
Growth Garage tenant Joe Seymour, who owns the welding business War Machine Design and Fabrication, says invoicing and marketing have been his biggest business challenges. Receiving extra support, not just from Kalista and Growth Garage programming but also from his fellow tenants, has helped.
Kalista’s initial vision for Growth Garage was actually to align three tenants like Seymour who work in the trades, so they could work together, provide a “one-stop shop” concept and refer business. While it hasn’t exactly worked out that way — the third tenant is Powerhouse Productions, a company that does lighting and sound for concerts and events — the three tenants have supported each other nonetheless, from dispensing casual advice and accepting each other’s package deliveries to Seymour being able to weld and fabricate equipment for both the gym and the production company.
“The group and the trust in people is growing, which is what we wanted,” Kalista says.
Long term, Kalista is excited about the prospects for Growth Garage. What he says started as a conversation with his wife about wanting to help people has turned into something he dreams of taking statewide.
“If I could build and grow brands more, I would,” Kalista says. “Because it’s new and fresh and exciting to help people and see them succeed.”
On the web growthgaragewi.com
