Black Complex Louisville co-working space aims to close gaps, adding diversity and inclusion in one space

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new co-working space in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood hopes to close gaps by providing more opportunities for small businesses.

The goal of Black Complex Louisville is to reflect the community by adding diversity and inclusion in one space. It's a vision for Aaron Jordan, a local entrepreneur, who wants to help others by merging creativity and inclusivity. 

"It's really just about having a healthy, thriving ecosystem in Louisville, Kentucky," said Jordan.

As the founder and CEO of Black Complex Louisville, he will lead the co-working space from the same facility as the Broadway Theater. It's a co-working space for small businesses and entrepreneurs to gather and network, share office and meeting spaces, and ideas. 

Jordan said he was inspired by co-working spaces he encountered while traveling through other cities such as Nashville, Atlanta and New York.

"I gravitated towards the business model because it was always like this swanky, hip culture and vibe in the city that I experienced it in," he said. "Then I come home to Louisville and we didn't have it. And I'm like, why is there no space that is like, interdisciplinary, that is collaborative, that has multiple industries and multiple ideas."

Jordan said during civil unrest in Louisville in 2020 he was "forced to reckon with a lot of realities."

"The biggest reality was that there are fairly slim to no spaces for Black, indigenous, people of color, especially when you dial into entrepreneurship, creativity and professional spaces, not a lot of spaces for people that look like me," he said. "With that, I was like I gotta pivot and create this business model." 

Jordan said it's important to have a space for small business owners because collaboration needs to happen "that goes beyond industry" and helps provide resources and program for professionals. 

"What I found is that an entrepreneur, creative or professional like myself, needs a place where I can come grab a latte, where I can bring a high-level professional in and be confident in the space that I'm having my meeting or having my presentation in," he said. "I would like there to be social aspects of it, after I'm done killing it all day I want to kick back with a signature cocktail, or I want to run into that next collaborator organically and so, creating a space where these interactions happen by design."

Jordan plans to raise about $700,000 for renovations to the space, transforming both floors of the building off Logan Street and East Broadway. He also plans to eventually offer professional development training.

"We 100% support the vision," said Rachel Zink.

Zink is the co-founder of the Epping District, the development group that manages the building. She said she and her business partner, Anna Sorrell, immediately believed in Jordan's vision after a meeting with local developer Gil Holland.

"Smoketown is a historically Black neighborhood, and so we, as a development group, want to cater to our community and, obviously that is being inclusive to everyone," Zink said. "And so, when Aaron (Jordan) pitched his deck to us about everything that he's wanting to do with Black Complex it seemed like there couldn't be a better fit."

It's also a passion project.

"Now we have a lot of new life and energy with Aaron (Jordan) coming in and bringing Black Complex here, I feel like we definitely will be able to cater even more to the community, with creatives and innovators and all different walks of life, we're just really excited to have everybody here," said Zink.

To help bring new life to one of Louisville's historic communities.

"Our generation is here now," said Jordan. "Fifteen years ago, these were two different people that looked completely different, so it is our responsibility to not only show up in spaces, but show up at our best."

Epping District also hopes to revitalize the old Broadway Theater, which is right next door to the co-working space.

Black Complex will offer membership packages allowing members to get professional development training, access to meeting spaces, conference rooms, networking events and curated events. 

The co-working space will have a soft launch in March. For more information and to keep up with Black Complex Louisville, click here.

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