The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will hold a grand opening celebration this week for its new Lubar Entrepreneurship Center.
The two-story, 24,000-square-foot building, located at the northwest corner of Kenwood Boulevard and Maryland Avenue, will house the university’s entrepreneurial programs and initiatives, and serve as a welcome center for the entire campus. The building features labs, instructional spaces, collaboration areas, conference rooms, a coffee shop and welcome center.
Crews on Tuesday were putting the finishing touches on the new building to prepare for the grand opening, which will be held Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
The building was initiated by a $10 million donation from Lubar & Co. founder Sheldon Lubar and his wife Marianne in 2015. The UW System has also contributed $10 million.
Fiduciary Management Inc. founder Ted Kellner and his wife Mary’s family foundation, the Kelben Foundation, contributed $2 million and serial entrepreneur Jerry Jendusa gave $1 million to the center. UWM alumnus Avi Shaked and his wife Babs Waldman made a $2 million donation to support the center and provide scholarships in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.
Additional gifts came from We Energies and American Family Insurance.
