Creativity Blends with Industry at Chamber After Hours in Tacoma’s Nalley Valley

The historic Willamette Building, built in 1908 and bought in 2018 by Horizon Partners Northwest, is the current home to a number of startups.

July 2025’s Chamber After Hours highlighted two of the Chamber’s most engaging programs: Spaceworks Tacoma and the Manufacturing Industrial Council (MIC) for the South Sound to set the stage for the Chamber’s latest endeavor. The Willamette Building – home to  Spaceworks Incubator alumni – will be a hub for businesses that participate in the new Tacoma Manufacturing Incubator.

The Tacoma Manufacturing Incubator aims to reduce barriers in the manufacturing sector by providing technical assistance, access to capital, workforce development, education, and scalable manufacturing spaces for both emerging and established manufacturers. It will be administered by the MIC in partnership with Clover Park Technical College and Horizon Partners Northwest (Willamette Building owners).

Since 2010, the Spaceworks Incubator has provided relevant and meaningful business training for first-time business owners, ambitious creative professionals, and folks passionate about making Tacoma a great place to live and work. To date it has supported over 400 local creative entrepreneurs with 84% of its incubator alumni still in business. The Spaceworks Incubator is the framework that is being applied to the new Tacoma Manufacturing Incubator.

“Working through a Spaceworks cohort was a game-changer for my small business,” said Andy Vargo, owner of Own Your Awkward. “I knew going in that there would be resources and a framework to better set myself up for success, but the most meaningful part of the experience has been becoming part of a community that supports the journey of our local creative entrepreneurs.” 
Construction has begun on turning the 225,000–sq-feet warehouse into functional, modern manufacturing studios. The construction includes an upgraded freight elevator, loading dock, and windows for the building.

The Chamber is grateful to have the opportunity to support emerging entrepreneurs, and we thank the July Chamber After Hours attendees for taking the time to attend and learn more about its newest initiatives.

Unique Northwest representative Nathan Sission took to social media sharing, “This was an awesome event tonight put on by [the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber]. Tons of awesome manufacturers here in this awesome incubator inside the old Willamette Casket factory building. Working hard to keep manufacturing jobs here in the South Sound.”

"I feel like [the new manufacturing incubator] is one of the best possible solutions to keep Tacoma at the forefront of the manufacturing industry. Small businesses need assistance getting off the ground now more than ever, and programs and facilities like this are invaluable,” said Sission.

The Chamber would like to thank STINK & El Tufo Wine Bar for providing refreshments and invites the community to its new location at 909 A St, Tacoma, WA 98402.

If you haven’t already attended a Chamber After Hours and you are interested, mark your calendar for August 21, 2025, from 5:00-7:00pm. The Washington State Fair Event Center will be hosting our crowd in The Upper Lodge building.

If you’re curious about the role Spaceworks and the MIC play in Tacoma’s creative economy or the manufacturing sector, please sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.