GE Appliances Celebrates Opening Of CoCREATE In Stamford

Information via GE Appliances

STAMFORD, CT — GE Appliances, a Haier company, together with state education and workforce development leaders, officially opened CoCREATE to the public in Stamford last week.

Part appliance factory, community makerspace, and design and experience center, CoCREATE is a first-of-its-kind co-creation hub designed to bring people together to make, connect, and inspire.

"We are thrilled to officially open CoCREATE, a dynamic incubator for innovation and partnership that puts the community at the very center of the experience," said GE Appliances President & CEO Kevin Nolan in a news release. "CoCREATE is the latest example of our continued commitment at GE Appliances to investing in America and creating possibilities that lead to economic growth and opportunities in local communities like Stamford."

CoCREATE is located at 47 John St., within a 67,000-square-foot facility in Stamford’s Harbor Point neighborhood.

GE Appliances broke ground on CoCREATE in the fall of 2021 and began manufacturing select small appliances inside the facility last year.

The state-of-the-art facility merges elements of modern manufacturing and community collaboration and engagement under one roof to create an environment that fosters innovation, cultivates meaningful partnerships, and drives exceptional customer experiences.

"I’m so excited to welcome CoCREATE to our state," said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz in a news release. "This first-of-its-kind innovation hub represents GE Appliances’ renewed commitment in our region to fostering economic growth, creating jobs, and providing exciting opportunities for the local community."

Stamford Director of Economic Development Leah Kagan called CoCREATE an "incredible, unique addition" to the city.

"From providing students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in their state-of-the-art makerspace, to its beautiful test kitchen and design center... We are excited for GE Appliances to open its doors to the community so they can take full advantage of all that it has to offer," Kagan said.

Now fully open, CoCREATE offers many unique opportunities for everyone, from the local maker community to families and consumers.

The facility houses the second FirstBuild makerspace in the country.

FirstBuild was first established in Louisville, Ky., to accelerate GE Appliances’ pace of innovation through social product development with a global community of makers online and in its publicly available makerspace. With access to hand tools, 3D printers, lasers, and other state-of-the-art equipment, the makerspace will offer community hours that invite individuals to explore their creativity, prototype ideas, and transform concepts into actual products.

CoCREATE will also host educational programming and other learning opportunities in the makerspace for students, families, area high schools, and community groups.

Visitors can also see inside the CoCREATE microfactory, where they can watch the craftsmanship that goes into building small appliances from GEAppliances’ lineup, including the Monogram Hearth Oven and GE Profile Smart Mixer.

Here, the company builds on its longstanding commitment to workforce development and American manufacturing. Through partnerships with the University of Connecticut and Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU), students work paid, part-time shifts in the factory after classes alongside CoCREATE engineers.

CoCREATE offers an on-site community coffee shop, creating a welcoming place for visitors to connect. Additionally, within the facility’s design & experience center, community members can engage directly with the CoCREATE team, test new products, and provide valuable feedback.The center's Monogram Test Kitchen also provides an avenue for culinary enthusiasts to elevate their cooking skills.

Equipped with Monogram brand appliances, this fully functional kitchen will host chef demonstrations, cooking lessons, and other community events.

Local chefs will also use the test kitchen as part of a newly formed partnership with the Village Community Foundation's Kitchen Incubator Program, which supports local, emerging chefs and restaurateurs.

CoCREATE's immersive brand showroom offers inspiration for home and kitchen design, even allowing visitors to customize select appliances. It showcases kitchen vignettes from GE Appliances' various brands, such as Monogram, Café, GE, GE Profile, Haier and Hotpoint, highlighting their individual, distinctive styles.

The facility also features a retail area where visitors can explore and purchase products as well as a heritage center that pays homage to the region's rich manufacturing history.

Visitors can learn more about industrial and consumer products from the past that were invented in Connecticut, including small appliances first developed in Bridgeport by General Electric in the 1920s.

In 2020, GE Appliances announced it would return to the manufacturing and selling of small appliances after 35 years.