Creative Village’s
newest addition, the nonprofit co-working space provider Canvs, promises to help launch business startups in Parramore — but it has also drawn concern from competitors.
Creative Village’s newest addition, the nonprofit co-working space provider Canvs, promises to help launch business startups in Parramore — but it has also drawn concern from competitors.
Orlando gave Canvs $50,000 for rent, salaries, office supplies and building improvements without reaching out to other Orlando groups in the business of providing shared work spaces. The new operation opened this month in 900 square feet.
City officials said they chose to give the upfront funds to Canvs largely because of the nonprofit’s ties with University of Central Florida, which is a key player in making Creative Village become a reality by building a downtown campus at the property immediately west of downtown Orlando.
Orlando entrepreneur Jason Wade said “city bailouts” will only hurt the tech community in the long run. Catalyst owner Dennis Pape described the move as being unfair, lacking transparency and disingenuous.
“It would be helpful for the City of Orlando to promote and support all of us – not just Canvs,” Pape told city officials in June. Real Trend President John Hussey, who oversees the Colab space downtown, also raised concerns.
Canvs Parramore opened at Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy in UCF-owned space at 500 Bentley Street, Orlando. Members renting space there pay $250 to $375 monthly, with some scholarships available to shave 20 percent off costs. In return, members get shared or personal desk space and access to a conference room and Wi-Fi. The group is trying to get 10 to 12 businesses for the upper tier of membership and five to 10 to commit for the entry-level option.
In exchange for financial support from the city, Canvs must report occupancy, memberships, discounts, events, and mentoring each quarter.
Leading up to the Orlando City Council’s June vote on the Canvs grant, City Commissioner Robert Stuart in an email to city officials questioned the city’s decision to work exclusively with Canvs. Brooke Bonnett, head of economic development for the city, replied with an email that included only a list of the board of directors for Canvs. At the top of that list was Thad Seymour, who oversees both the Canvs board of directors and the University of Central Florida's emerging downtown campus at Creative Village.
Donna Mackenzie, executive director of Canvs since 2015, was on the payroll of the University of Central Florida in recent years, according to a database of public salaries. Her UCF pay, reported in February 2016, was $156,600 for a position of program assistant. Federal tax records for Canvs in 2015 showed she was unpaid in her full-time role overseeing Canvs.
A look at 500 pages of public emails regarding the city’s grant to Canvs offers a rare glimpse