Hammond Development

What Hammond Development does

Hammond Development Corporation (HDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development corporation founded in 1983 and headquartered in Hammond, Indiana, serving Lake County. The organization's stated mission is fostering economic development and job creation through small business development, educational programs, office and conference room rental, co-working, and technology resources, with a primary focus on women and minority business owners and Hammond-based businesses. HDC operates from three contiguous downtown Hammond properties on Hohman Avenue — HDC @ the HUB (5233 Hohman Ave), HDC Business Center (5209 Hohman Ave), and Indiana Building (5246 Hohman Ave) — delivering a bundled stack of entrepreneurship services.

Its core product surface consists of five integrated lines: (1) Workspace/Co-working, offering shared offices starting at $250 per month, private office suites starting at $400 per month, and conference/event space at $25 per hour or $100 per 8-hour day; (2) the NxLevel Entrepreneurship Program, an eight-session training curriculum in business planning, marketing, bookkeeping, financial projections, and lender negotiations, priced at $110 per cohort (February and September); (3) the Food Entrepreneurs Program, combining a regulated commercial kitchen ($20/hour + $125 annual membership + $100 cleaning deposit, SERVSAFE certification required) with a Pop-Up Cafe testing venue and food-specific classes; (4) the Business Builders Revolving Loan Fund, seeded by a Horseshoe Casino (formerly Empress Casino) grant, providing up to $50,000 for fixed assets or working capital to minority and women-owned businesses; and (5) the Microloan Program, administered jointly with Fifth Third Bank, Old National Bank, and First & Fifth Bank, offering up to $5,000 to HDC tenants and NxLevel graduates. A Tech Incubator Program layers graduated rent subsidies (20% in months 1-6 scaling to 100% by month 24) on top of the workspace line. Underlying technology is conventional office infrastructure: printing/copying, training-lab computers, internet, and projectors — no proprietary platform, no API surface, no AI/ML capabilities.

The revenue model is a hybrid of recurring subscription rentals (offices, coworking), usage-based hourly rentals (kitchen, conference), one-time program fees (NxLevel), and loan-administration/grant pass-through (Business Builders, Microloans). Go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct in-person engagement at the three downtown facilities, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), events/workshops, and referrals through an embedded network of bank and municipal partners. Operational governance is provided by an Executive Board (Scott Miller, Chairman; Tamera Lienhart, VP; Elsa Razo, Treasurer; Anne Taylor, Secretary) and an Advisory Board drawn from Fifth Third Bank, Old National Bank, Purdue University Northwest, BP, and the City of Hammond. HDC is led by Executive Director Jennifer Bussey with a small named team (Financial Manager, Program Director, Kitchen Manager, Executive Assistant) consistent with a 1-10 employee organization.

Name

Hammond Development

Legal name

Hammond Development Corporation

Website

https://hdcnwi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hammond Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development corporation based in Hammond, Indiana. Founded in 1983, it supports women- and minority-owned small businesses and local entrepreneurs through workspace rentals, NxLevel entrepreneurship training, a commercial kitchen, and microloan/revolving loan programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development and Small Business Support Services

NAICS

Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (551114)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Small business development
• Entrepreneurship training programs
• Coworking office rentals
• Commercial kitchen rental
• Small business microloans

Headquarters

HQ city

Hammond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Office and Coworking Space Rental: HDC generates revenue through rental of private offices, coworking spaces, and conference rooms across three downtown Hammond buildings (The HUB, Business Center, and Indiana Building).
2. Commercial Kitchen Rental: The Food Entrepreneurs Program provides commercial kitchen space rental at $20/hour with annual membership fees, serving start-up food businesses.
3. Educational Programs and Classes: Revenue from entrepreneurship training programs including NxLevel classes ($110 cost) and various workshops aimed at small business development.
4. Loan Program Administration: Administration of revolving loan fund and microloan programs in partnership with Fifth Third Bank and Old National Bank, providing up to $50,000 for fixed assets and working capital, and up to $5,000 microloans for qualified borrowers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hammond Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development corporation that fosters small business development in Hammond, Indiana through an integrated suite of services: affordable office and coworking space across three downtown buildings, the NxLevel entrepreneurship training program, revolving loan funds and microloans administered in partnership with regional banks, and a Food Entrepreneurs Program offering commercial kitchen space with a Pop-Up Café. Its primary focus is supporting women and minority business owners as well as Hammond-based small businesses.

Product overview

Hammond Development Corporation (HDC) is a 501(c)(3) economic development organization offering a coordinated suite of small business development services in Hammond, Indiana. The core offerings include flexible workspace and co-working space, the NxLevel Entrepreneurship Program for business training, the Business Builders Revolving Loan Fund and Microloan Program for financing, and the Food Entrepreneurs Program with commercial kitchen facilities. These services are designed to support women and minority business owners and local entrepreneurs through education, workspace, and capital access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workspace / Coworking Space Flexible office space including co-working areas (from $25/day or $250/month), private offices (from $400/month), and conference room rentals ($25/hour or $100/8-hour day) for entrepreneurs and small businesses in downtown Hammond. Includes technology resources such as printing/copying, training labs with computers, presentation areas with projectors, and internet access.
• NxLevel Entrepreneurship Program Entrepreneurship training program providing instruction in basic business skills, writing business plans, marketing, bookkeeping, financial projections, and negotiating with lenders. Cost is $110 per class, offered every February and September. Open to aspiring entrepreneurs, with completion serving as a gateway to HDC's Microloan Program.
• Business Builders Revolving Loan Fund Revolving loan fund for minority and women-owned Hammond small businesses, with maximum funding of $50,000 for fixed-asset financing or working capital. Administered by HDC in partnership with regional financial institutions.
• Business Microloan Program Microloan program for HDC tenants and NxLevel graduates, offering up to $5,000 for short-term purposes such as inventory, equipment leasing, and marketing materials, in partnership with Fifth Third Bank, Old National Bank, and First & Fifth Bank.
• Food Entrepreneurs Program / Community Kitchen Program providing commercial kitchen space rental ($20/hour), educational classes, and a Pop-Up Café for start-up food entrepreneurs to prepare products in a commercial environment and comply with state health regulations. Annual membership is $125 with a $100 cleaning deposit; SERVSAFE certification is required.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Festival of the LakescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDC is a proud managing partner of the Festival of the Lakes in Hammond, a major community event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: National 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free mentorship, workshops, and entrepreneurship education to small businesses. Highly comparable to HDC's NxLevel training mission and community-education focus.
• LiftFund: Nonprofit community lender and small-business support organization providing microloans and entrepreneurship training to minority and women-owned businesses — a near-direct analog to HDC's loan-plus-education model.
• Grameen America: Nonprofit microfinance organization lending to women entrepreneurs in underserved U.S. communities. Highly aligned with HDC's mission of providing capital access to women-owned businesses.
• Justine PETERSEN: CDFI providing microloans, housing, and small-business support primarily to underserved entrepreneurs in the St. Louis metro. Closely matches HDC's microloan, training, and minority/women entrepreneurship focus.

Regional players

• Indiana District of SCORE / Purdue University Northwest Small Business Development Center: Hosts the regional SBDC and entrepreneurship programming serving Northwest Indiana; overlaps directly with HDC's NxLevel training and advisory services for local small-business owners.
• Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC): Regionally hosted SBDC providing no-cost business advising and training to small businesses in Northwest Indiana, overlapping HDC's geographic service area and entrepreneurship training mission.

Emerging players

• Impact Hub: Global network of community-driven coworking and innovation spaces for mission-aligned entrepreneurs. Compares to HDC's coworking/workspace offerings but oriented toward social impact ventures and operating at network scale.
• Kiva U.S. Crowdfunded microloan platform supporting small businesses in the U.S., including underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable to HDC's microloan program in borrower profile and ticket size.

Broad incumbents

• Accion Opportunity Fund: Large national CDFI providing small-business loans, coaching, and education to underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable in microloan delivery and business training, but operating at much greater scale than HDC.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National nonprofit CDFI supporting local community development organizations with capital and grants. Operates in many of the same corridors as HDC and partners with similarly positioned CDCs across the country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hubinnovates
• Instagraminstagram.com/hdcnwi
• TikToktiktok.com/@hammonddevelopmentcorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hammond-development-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hammond Development