In DNC Bloggers’ HQ, The Story Of American Innovation Writ Small

A former car showroom in Charlotte (NC), Packard Place has been transformed into a startup hub -- and, for a few days, a media office -- just as tens of thousands of politicos are descending onto the city to talk about how to create jobs and sustain the middle class in a new economy built on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Obama’s themes are the building's successes. Packard Place has been remade into a LEED-certified building. It houses a couple dozen startups in various stages, including several within an energy-focused incubator and another incubator for social entrepreneurs. Its ground-floor not-for-profit community center, called the Garage, has become the central (and free) meeting place for entrepreneurs and business-advocacy groups from throughout the city (as well as for regular Thursday-afternoon happy hours).