This is the purpose of the makerspace \u2013 to help entrepreneurs \u2013 test and develop products using tools they wouldn\u2019t have access to otherwise, said Judy Castleberry, director of San Juan College\u2019s Enterprise Center.<\/p>\n The makerspace, opened in February 2019 and housed inside the college\u2019s Enterprise Center<\/a>, is home to a graphic design studio, 3D printers, metal and woodworking equipment, fiber-arts equipment and a technology station. Anyone in the community can have access to the equipment through a membership, Castleberry said.<\/p>\n Alongside the makerspace, the Enterprise Center is a certified business incubator, providing resources, office space, business coaching, workshops, financing and shared equipment to help people in starting and growing their businesses, she said.<\/p>\n Yet the goals of the makerspace \u2013 while emphasizing playful creation and entrepreneurship \u2013 go beyond the college and into the larger Farmington area.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things I\u2019d like to do in the next five years is for our community to be the hub of innovation,\u201d said Lorenzo Reyes, dean of the Workforce and Economic Development Center at the college.<\/p>\n The long-term goals of the college\u2019s makerspace mirror many of city and county officials\u2019 hoping to expand and diversify Farmington\u2019s economy beyond oil and natural gas. Reyes said for many years the community was focused on one or two industries, \u201cbut we have a lot of assets in this community that could really transform the area.\u201d<\/p>\n But to become a central hub for enterprise, Reyes said, any long-term plan has to pull together resources throughout the Four Corners, including Durango. He added the key is to \u201cleverage the resources that exist in the region and then to attract companies from out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n Reyes would like to see the community, through the makerspace, build up members with innovative and creative ideas to eventually expand into production or attract companies to come into the region.<\/p>\n Reyes cited a study which found about 90% of the products sold in Farmington come from out of town.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a retail hub, and it\u2019s one of the economic assets in the community,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when you have 90% of the products sold here being imported, why can\u2019t we create jobs and create opportunities and create people who will develop the products and services, create them here and sell them here?\u201d<\/p>\n It won\u2019t be easy. One of the challenges the makerspace has faced in its first year, Reyes said, is spreading the word and getting local entrepreneurs and craft-makers interested in using the facility.<\/p>\n