North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation approves milestone financing for LaunchSpace in Athol
FITCHBURG, Mass.—Oct. 23, 2026—The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), the economic development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, approved financing of $195,313 for LaunchSpace, Inc., to support renovations for the construction of a new, shared-used commercial kitchen at the decommissioned Pleasant Street School, located at 1060 Pleasant Street in Athol.
In addition to its direct financial impact, the funding marks a significant step in NCMDC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen economic development and expand lending capacity to support the region’s unique industry mix.
Founded in 2017 by Brianna Drohen and Alec MacLeod, LaunchSpace is a makerspace providing a creative and collaborative ecosystem for makers, artists, the unemployed, small businesses, entrepreneurs, remote workers, and other independent professionals. Drohen worked closely with Ray Belanger of NewVue Communities to develop LaunchSpace’s business plan.
As a non-profit, LaunchSpace supports innovative economic development in post-industrial, semi-rural communities with the opportunity to explore and cultivate hands-on skills.
“We believe in benefitting people and enterprises through collaboration,” said Drohen. “With LaunchSpace, entrepreneurs can access workshop space, a training center, and now a commercial grade kitchen to produce their work and fuel the economy.”
In addition to the kitchen, LaunchSpace will offer a prep kitchen and two storage spaces as well as meeting rooms and offices, with a second phase of the project aimed toward business incubator studios and childcare spaces.
“The demand for locally grown and manufactured food products has increased with the growth of farmers markets, food pantries, and restaurants and retail outlets selling the products,” added MacLeod. “This project is focused on providing resources to serve the needs of food security and offer opportunities for workforce development as we are looking to hire three full-time employees and the potential of 20 to 30 part-time staff.”
LaunchSpace, which opened this summer, is currently accepting new kitchen members and continues to build its membership.
To learn more about LaunchSpace, visit https://launchspace-orange.com.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $250,000 for working capital, real estate, equipment, inventory, expansion, and, working with our banking partners, to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
For more information about the NCMDC loan programs, please call 978.353.7607 or visit NorthCentralMass.com or ChooseNorthCentral.com
