Being in business is an adventure.
“It’s something new every day,” described Matt Riesselman, a 2006 graduate of Nevada High School.
After working for a racing business in Charlotte, N.C., right out of high school, it didn’t take Riesselman long to realize working for others wasn’t going to cut it. He wanted to work for himself and came back to Iowa to do it.
“In about 2012, I started my own T-shirt shop, Elite Screen Printing. It started in my mom’s basement (Donita Riesselman of rural Nevada) and then moved to a main street location in Story City,” he said. As growth continued, the business moved to West Ames, and last year, he opened a sales office in Ankeny.
Riesselman now wants to aid other entrepreneurs. He’s delving into a unique business model in Nevada’s West Industrial Park.
The Workhub Business Park – two buildings with five units each – will offer business owners a place to be successful.
Riesselman researched the need for “small commercial flex zones.” “Basically, these are buildings that will have warehouse/office space (for a variety of business uses),” he said. Each of the units in his buildings will offer 1,500 square feet of climate-controlled space. “It fits contractors, small business owners, trades … many things.”
Riesselman, 33, believes Nevada is a good fit for the business model. “Nevada doesn’t offer anything like this, but Nevada offers proximity to Ames and other metropolitan areas.”
He already has agreements in place for a couple of the units, and getting in early makes sense. Initial occupants receive the added benefit of helping design their interior space. They decide whether they want a loft (as the 16-foot-high structures will allow), how many smaller rooms they want inside the area, etc.
Riesselman’s goal is to prove that these non-retail business spaces are needed and will work in a smaller community. If the model goes well in Nevada, he hopes to offer similar Workhubs in other central Iowa communities.
Developing property isn’t a new idea for Riesselman, who said he’s dabbled in the house flipping industry, as well. He started M&R Properties Iowa about a year ago. M&R Properties Iowa will own the new Workhub Business Park in Nevada.
Being a businessperson, he said, “takes a willingness to learn things yourself, a willingness to do the work and a willingness to know you’re going to fail a lot. Failures are just part of it.”
But where others may find an excuse to quit, Riesselman doesn’t. “I don’t quit.” Even when there are bumps along the way, “I’m always determined to see things through.”
A ground-breaking ceremony was held this morning (Sept. 15), two pole buildings are going up, and Riesselman will be utilizing many local contractors to finish the business spaces. Those who’ve already secured business spaces will move in well before the end of this year.
“I want to thank the City of Nevada, the NEDC (Nevada Economic Development Council) and the Story County Development Group,” Riesselman said. “They offered support as we worked through different committees to get everything approved.”
If you are interested in finding out more about space in Riesselman’s Workhub Business Park, located at 1710 West K Ave., Nevada, please email Matt, mrpropertiesiowa.gmail.com, or call 515-708-7656 .
—Written by Marlys Barker, City of Nevada
