Incubator in West Des Moines graduates firm

West Des Moines leaders this week celebrated the graduation of one tech company from the city's business incubator and welcomed another startup into the fold.Appcore, a cloud computing company that had joined the center six months ago, shifted its operations to downtown Des Moines on Friday. Ironclad Systems, a computer and network company, became the incubator's newest tenant.The two businesses - one growing and expanding its global reach, and the other just starting to secure key customers - offer an example of the goal behind the incubator, said Clyde Evans, director of community and economic development.

The initiative offers more than just low-rent office space for entrepreneurs, he said. Tenants at the incubator, which opened in October, as well receive mentoring and on-site business management training. The combination gives small companies just as Ironclad Systems a place to mature into larger operations, like Appcore."We have a lot of big corporations in West Des Moines, nevertheless small business development is where we're going to see job growth," Evans said. "This helps encourage that."

The incubator is at 2829 Westown Parkway

The incubator is at 2829 Westown Parkway, Suite 220. It shares space with the Mid-Iowa Small Business Development Center. Two other companies - Midland Testing Services, an employee screening company, and Canvis, another tech business - reside in the incubator.Appcore, with 12 metro-area employees, was the largest company to occupy the space. The company began innovation and development in 2008 in St. Charles. When CEO Brian Patrick Donaghy decided the company's product was ready for commercialization in 2010, he moved the firm to West Des Moines.

Today, Appcore is an international operation that sells hardware and software to other businesses, which in turn use the products to offer cloud computing services to their clients. It employs 20 people in southern Africa and will in the near future open an office in Seoul, South Korea."We were in a fast-growth mode, and the incubator gave us the flexibility that we needed," Donaghy said. "They let us get our feet wet on the commercialization side and gave us stability throughout our growth."

Ironclad Systems owner Warren McKee hopes the program can provide the same benefits for his business, which builds, installs and repairs computers and networks."This is teaching me how to be a professional," McKee said, noting that he's learned accounting and business taxes since joining the incubator. "When you work out of your basement, everyone assumes you're just one in a million."This makes me a legitimate business. We're moving our way up."