Florida State University is beginning the first phase of major renovations on a building in downtown Tallahassee that is set to become the new FSU Jim Moran Building.
The facility will be home to the College of Business’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship and the university’s new interdisciplinary Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship. It’s expected to open in November 2017.
“I am incredibly excited about the next step in transforming this space as we prepare to admit our inaugural class of entrepreneurship students in the 2017-2018 academic year,” said Susan Fiorito, director of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship. “This building will offer so much more than just traditional classroom space as it becomes a launching pad for the businesses of tomorrow’s young entrepreneurs.”
“We are thrilled to announce the move to our new home in downtown Tallahassee,” said Randy Blass, executive director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. “The new facility will serve as a significant asset to entrepreneurs throughout the state of Florida, providing unprecedented access to small businesses, nonprofit and other organizations in the heart of our capital city.”
Culpepper Construction Company, Inc., of Tallahassee, is overseeing the $8.25 million project and is working with Architects: Lewis + Whitlock. The renovation will transform approximately 20,000 square feet of space in the old Guaranty Bank building at 111 South Monroe Street. Brian and Kathryn Ballard donated the building to the university last February.
One floor of the facility will become the statewide headquarters for the Jim Moran Institute and the location for all of its Tallahassee programs. Another floor will include classroom, incubator and office space for the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship students, faculty and staff. The Jim Moran Institute and the Jim Moran School will share space to accommodate events, presentations, receptions, meetings, collaborative projects and administrative functions.
The two separate entities will be able to enhance their natural synergy in one building. The Jim Moran School will help students develop entrepreneurial opportunities, while the Jim Moran Institute will focus on continuing its 21-year mission of assisting business owners and entrepreneurial leaders.
The new location ensures that small businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, trade associations and governmental leaders will have easy access to networking opportunities and the valuable resources of the Jim Moran Institute. In addition, entrepreneurship students at the Jim Moran School will find it easier to connect with business leaders who want to serve as mentors or lecturers.
The new FSU Jim Moran Building will stand as a lasting tribute to the unique vision and remarkable legacy of automotive legend Jim Moran.
About the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship
In December 2015, Florida State University announced the creation of the nation’s largest interdisciplinary, degree-granting school of entrepreneurship, the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship, as part of a major gift from Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation. Students participate in traditional case study learning along with innovative hands-on application and experiences. Students accepted in the inaugural 2017-2018 class will graduate with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in entrepreneurship.
Learn more at jimmoranschool.fsu.edu.
About the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship
The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship cultivates, trains and inspires entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research. Jim Moran was an automotive pioneer and an entrepreneur at heart, who at the age of seven, sold soda pop at sandlot baseball diamonds in Chicago. With a career that spanned more than six decades, he built an amazing chronicle of achievements in the automobile industry. His vision for the Jim Moran Institute was to provide opportunities that would help others become more successful business owners. A 1995 contribution from Jim and Jan Moran and JM Family Enterprises established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the Florida State University College of Business. Since 2011, further enhancements to the Jim Moran Institute and its outreach have been made possible by Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.
For more information, visit jimmoraninstitute.fsu.edu.
