Asite in the Reno-Sparks metro area that once supplied a community’s home improvement needs has had a few alterations of its own, as doors open to the world’s largest makerspace, innovation campus and art park under a single roof.
Behind the redevelopment of a former 210,000-sq.-ft. Lowe’s building into the new 230,000-sq.-ft. The Oddie District is Foothill Partners. The space was brought to life by Foothill’s President and CEO Douglas Wiele and Community & Economic Development Partner Nick Smoot, who were intent on co-founding a collaborative working campus that fits the needs of engineers, entrepreneurs, makers and artists. One of the first phases of the development anchored a 63,000-sq.-ft. non-profit community makerspace, The Reno Generator, at the site in 2022 providing artists with access to heavy fabrication tools and equipment for their projects, such as art installations for the annual Burning Man event taking place in early September approximately two hours to the north. By the end of 2026, the team plans to have completed construction of 150,000 sq. ft. of light industrial and fabrication-ready spaces, flexible office space, training labs and R&D environments; a 20,000 sq. ft. outdoor art and event space; and a 300-seat food and entertainment venue, The Oddie Commons.
Direct access to skilled talent led NevadaWorks and the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to invest in a new EmployNV hub at the campus. The Oddie District’s model provides an ideal environment to support EmployNV’s vision of cultivating a single accessible place to deliver workforce services, education pathways, employer engagement and service infrastructure.
Revitalization of a former Lowe’s home improvement facility in Nevada is setting the stage for new levels of innovation and entrepreneurship within the Reno-Sparks metro region.
Photo courtesy of The Oddie District
Another career-focused occupant to date includes the National Technical Institute, which will provide workforce training tailored to industry needs.
“Combined with entrepreneurs, educators, investors, restaurants and community partners, the campus creates an environment where companies can recruit talent, develop their workforce, collaborate and scale all under one roof,” says Nevada GOED Director of Strategic Programs and Innovation Karsten Heise. “That integrated approach is what companies are responding to. Rather than navigating disconnected organizations, they see a coordinated ecosystem where capital, workforce, education, real estate, entrepreneurship and community work together to help businesses succeed.”
Integrating Build Nevada
In May 2026, the Nevada Battle Born Growth Escalator (NBBGEI) launched a new AI-powered platform, Build Nevada, designed to connect both in-state and out-of-state founders, operators and growth-stage companies to capital infrastructure and expansion opportunities available in Nevada.
The Oddie District equips the state with a physical hub to pair with the digital platform. Here, Build Nevada will route founders toward vital funding while also connecting them to a literal building with community, mentorship programming and other companies building alongside them.
Within the platform, companies can submit structured project profiles outlining their product, traction, team and growth plans to get matched with capital, financing tools and strategic partners in Nevada’s innovation ecosystem. Build Nevada focuses on sectors the state has identified for growth — Energy & Electrification; Advanced Manufacturing; Robotics, Automation and Drone Systems; Industrial AI and Infrastructure Intelligence; Defense and Industrial Resilience; Supply Chain and Logistics Technologies; and Rural Industrial Growth — offering approved companies between $250,000 and over $3 million in venture equity, equipment financing, growth lending and expansion capital for Nevada-based operations.
“Our internal team then reviews submissions and follows up directly on strong fits, turning a relationship-dependent process into a structured intake funnel,” says Heise.
Ahead of the platform’s rollout, Heise and Smoot, who is also the co-founder of build_cities, spent several years discussing economic development challenges faced by the country and Nevada itself. These discussions explored potential opportunities, ultimately helping to shape aspects of build_cities’ Build Nevada platform.
Upon building out its AI-powered search engine and Innovation Challenge Marketplace, Smoot connected with NBBGEI Chief Program Officer for Venture Capital Kyle Ferguson, who leads the Battle Born Growth Venture program under GOED’s SSBCI program, Battle Born Growth.
The obstacles surrounding large SSBCI programs like Battle Born Growth, overseen by NBBGEI, often center on broad visibility and awareness of Nevada’s resources in both urban and rural areas. This challenge also applies to companies relocating to the state. By combining public resources with private innovation, the state is creating a connected, responsive ecosystem while providing a better experience and new opportunities for companies.
“It lowers the ‘Do I even qualify?’ barrier that keeps founders from ever applying in the first place,” says Heise, “surfacing Nevada’s target-sector priorities so founders can self-select and position their companies accordingly and connecting digital engagement through the platform to physical infrastructure at The Oddie District. So there’s a real on-ramp rather than just a database. Build Nevada widens the aperture of who knows they qualify, not just who’s already plugged into the ecosystem.”
With activity rolling out at the campus, in addition to Build Nevada, over 20 companies have already begun engaging with the platform, registering their projects for review to address specific innovation challenges in targeted growth areas.
