Downtown Greensburg business incubator welcomes first client

Seton Hill University hopes to foster entrepreneurial growth in Greensburg with the launch of the Wukich Center for Business Innovation, a downtown business incubator.

Seton Hill President Mary Finger said the incubator is part of the university's longstanding mission to provide for the needs of the community.

“It's formalizing — institutionalizing, in a sense — the entrepreneurial spirit of the university,” she said.

The center is in the Troutman Annex on South Pennsylvania Avenue. The university used to hold art classes there, but the space has been mostly vacant since Seton Hill's downtown arts center opened last year.

A soiree on campus Tuesday celebrated the incubator's first tenant, alumnus Josh Sobota, founder of Blue Otter.

Blue Otter is a software platform for managing large buildings. It allows users to track important assets in the building, like fire extinguishers, and easily customize building inspections.

Sobota got the idea for the software while spending nine years working as a building inspector.

He spent years refining his idea and seeking funding, getting plenty of help from Seton Hill's Wukich Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities, which was established in 2009.

Seton Hill was his first customer as he tested and refined his system.

“If you're just a little idea, it's good to have a bigger organization to say, ‘We'll make sure this doesn't burn down when you use it,' ” he said.

He said he just signed a deal with a medical center in Toronto and is in talks with other large potential clients. He recently hired his first employees, three full-time and one part-time.

Blue Otter will pay utilities but no rent for the space in the Troutman Building.

By using the building, the university is able to test the waters for its incubator without a huge investment, Finger said.

“It's the next step. It's modest, not taking on any huge incubator space. It's space we're already renting,” she said.

The university is in talks with other potential tenants, Finger said. Although Sobota is a Seton Hill alumnus, applicants are not required to have ties to the university.

Rental arrangements will be worked out on a case-by-case basis with each tenant, Finger said.

Sobota praised Seton Hill for giving entrepreneurs a leg up. The entrepreneurial spirit in the Greensburg area is strong, he said, and just needs a boost.

“I think there's a lot more of it than people realize.”

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.