NORFOLK, Neb. -- Several community leaders gathered along Norfolk Avenue Thursday to welcome a new educational workspace in Norfolk.

Northeast Community College (NECC) broke ground on an innovation hub better known as the "iHub" in Norfolk.

The new feature will act as a makerspace and youth STEM center located at the corner of Norfolk Avenue and 7th Street.

A remodel of an existing building, the iHub will feature wood and metal shops, a robotics and automation lab, an electrical studio, multiple collaboration spaces and more.

NECC President Leah Barrett said the iHub is an opportunity for northeast Nebraskans to explore and innovate their community with creative ideas and entrepreneurial innovations.

"It is a place where we can celebrate, full of windows, full of life, full of children, full of people that want to make a difference and want to figure out what those jobs of the future are," NECC president Leah Barret said.

U.S. Representative Mike Flood said places like the iHub help will keep young entrepreneurs in Nebraska and in a wider scope, help the United States to become "a nation that makes things again."

"They (students) need to come in here and they need to make tomorrow's solutions using technology and robotics because we are going to be automating more and more jobs every single day," Flood said. "We have to be one of the only cities our size in the United States that's made this kind of an investment for all the right reasons."

Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning said the iHub is a testament to Norfolk's dedication to grow and think outside the box.

"Norfolk has to work twice as hard to attract the opportunities it gets," Moenning said. "That's unfortunate, but it's also beneficial because it's engendered in us in our community over the years an entrepreneurial spirit. That I wouldn't trade for anything." 

NECC plans to begin the renovations this April and have the building ready for use by August of 2025.

Congressman Mike Flood is the founder and an owner of Flood Communications which owns News Channel Nebraska.