Western University Unveils Ronald D. Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Ronald D. Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is officially open for business, welcoming all aspiring innovators from across Western’s campus, providing the resources to turn ideas into action and challenges into opportunities.

The new state-of-the-art facility is named in recognition of a $10-million gift from Western law graduate and Canadian entrepreneur and financier Ron Schmeichel, JD’95.

The 100,000-square-foot building houses the largest maker space in Canada available to all students across all faculties, as well as staff, faculty and alumni interested in inventing and sharing innovative ideas.

Designed to blend with Western’s traditional architecture, the building also features collaborative learning spaces: breakout rooms, classrooms and meeting rooms, equipped with the latest technology and configurative seating.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 27, Western President Alan Shepard said the new space will help all students cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset ─ preparing them to navigate uncertainty, solve complex problems and create value in whatever field they choose.

“It’s not just a landmark building with remarkable design and features. It truly marks a transformation for our campus community and positions Western as the best university in Canada for entrepreneurship skills, talent and research,” Shepard said.

“It’s a collision space where Western students, faculty, staff and alumni from any background or discipline can launch new products, develop new ideas, create solutions and improve lives. We are deeply grateful for Ron Schmeichel’s support in creating this defining new space.”

Hub for creativity

The Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation brings all of Western’s signature entrepreneurship programs under one roof, including the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, Powered by Ivey, and its range of incubators, accelerator programs and networks.

“This is a launchpad for the next generation of innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs,” said Eric Morse, executive director of Morrissette Entrepreneurship. “Thanks to Ron Schmeichel’s unwavering belief in this vision, Western is positioned as the premier destination for any student with an entrepreneurial spark, ready to turn their ideas into impactful realities. His support has amplified our reach, enabling us to now reach five to ten times the number of students we’ve traditionally engaged each year.”

That includes Ryan Martell, a member of the Founders Program, which provides entrepreneurial education, mentorship and a $20,000 tuition bursary.

“To me, this building signifies we are in exciting times,” said Martell, a second-year marketing student at Huron University College. “In a post-COVID era, what I’ve observed amongst myself and my peers is an urge to solve problems. Our daily conversations are moving from identifying what we see as the problems of our economy and our society to bouncing around insights and ideas to solve those problems.’”

“It’s not possible to build the leaders of tomorrow, if those leaders of tomorrow don’t get involved in the problems of today. There was a need for a space like this, where like-minded students can translate this urge to ideate. With resources and support under one umbrella, the future is brighter than ever before.” – Second-year student Ryan Martell, member of Western’s Founders Program

Third-year nursing student and Founders Program member Jade Shi sees Western’s new entrepreneurial hub as the place to integrate her academic and entrepreneurial knowledge with a hope to “potentially create a tool or business to address inefficiencies in our health-care system.”

“Initially when I went into the nursing program, I thought I was going to take care of sick people at their bedsides. But the more I’ve learned about the active, diverse roles nurses play advocating for patients and policy changes, the more I think it’s time for health-care providers to merge with the entrepreneurship community and work collaboratively to develop something that will make a positive impact on the health system,” Shi said.

Largest maker space in Canada, open to all students

Shi said she “can’t wait to get her hands on” the prototyping tools students will now be able to access, at no charge, through the maker space areas.

The first-floor Sabourin Family Foundation Maker Space features traditional shop hand tools and metal- and woodworking machinery. Tools here include:

• Table saws, band saws, scroll saws
• Drill press
• Computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine (used in manufacturing metal and plastic parts)

Students wishing to use the space will complete safety training. From September to December, a master carpenter will be on-site to ensure students and future student mentors understand how to use the equipment. Special introductory workshops are also planned to help them experiment and see what’s possible.

Tools in the second-floor maker space include:

• Sewing machines
• 3D printers
• Water, laser and vinyl cutters

Ultimately, both maker space areas will be student-led, modelling a philosophy inspired by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga.

“In doing our due diligence, we felt Georgia Tech was really exceptional in how they ran their maker spaces. Their spaces are student-managed and operated and we wanted the same opportunity for our students,” said Morse, who also serves as a special advisor to the president on entrepreneurship.

“Normally, producing a prototype can be a very costly endeavor, especially if you needed custom parts,” he added, “but the maker spaces allow students the freedom to create without those high costs.”

Western’s first net-zero energy building

The Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation marks a milestone as Western’s first net-zero energy building.

Architects Perkins & Will adopted a “robust sustainability approach,” incorporating design aspects that significantly advance Western’s commitment to sustainability, as outlined in the university’s strategic plan Towards Western at 150.

Located between the Josephine Spencer Niblett Law Building and the Western Student Services Building, the facility’s design prioritizes electrification, eliminating the use of natural gas completely. The primary renewal energy source is geothermal, providing radiant heat throughout the building.

Other sustainability features include:

• Triple-glazed windows
• High R-value (numerical representation of thermal resistance) insulation in walls and roof (R-26 and R-40, respectively)
• Demand-controlled ventilation
• Integrated mechanical, electrical and architectural systems, allowing an effective balance of annual heating losses and annual heating gains
• Ecological external elements such as drought-resistant plantings, stormwater gardens and carefully preserved existing trees

The university is seeking LEED GOLD certification for the building. A green roof will also help to mitigate the heat island effect.

 

Open spaces for collaboration and connection

The first-floor learning and gathering space offers flexible work areas, a café and an entrepreneurship information booth.

The Dellelce Family Atrium serves as a gathering point for the main event space, flowing into the Grand Hall, which features 26-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors opening to a courtyard.

“Entrepreneurs are some of the most optimistic people I know. They know they can change the world. This building will bring people together to make change.” – Eric Morse, executive director of Morrissette Entrepreneurship

Fuelling next generation of problem-solvers, creative thinkers

The new building extends Western’s 30-year legacy of teaching entrepreneurship, which first began through the Ivey Business School and has advanced thanks to the vision of faculty and alumni.

In addition to Schmeichel’s generous gift, several donors have significantly bolstered entrepreneurship at Western over the years. Since 2007, Pierre Morrissette, MBA ’72, LLD’10, has committed a total of $10 million to the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship with other lead supporters including the Sabourin Family Foundation (Paul Sabourin, MBA’80), the Kevin Sullivan Family Foundation (Kevin Sullivan, BA’80, LLB’83) and the Dellelce family (Perry Dellelce, BA’85, LLD’22).

As Founders Program members with leadership roles on the new facility’s building committee, Shi and Martell are enthusiastic ambassadors of this most recent expansion and the vision to give every Western student the opportunity to build entrepreneurial skills.

“This is a place where you can develop an entrepreneurial mindset, where you can become a problem-solver and identifier of opportunities. Those skills are so important for any area you wish to excel in,” Martell said.

“We want this space to become the export hub of some of Canada’s newest ‘unicorns,’ products and services of innovation that will help address the world’s most pressing challenges. I love that Western is offering an ecosystem where young people are given the resources and the chance to rise and drive action to solve the problems that are going to affect us tomorrow.”