When the Union County Small Business Incubator program relaunched in June, organizers were hoping to refocus efforts to help start-up companies and entrepreneurs.

Now, just a few months later, the project is quickly outgrowing its space as it helps young businesses take off.

The incubator is based out of the Marysville Entrepreneurial Center, 128 S. Main St., and is free to Union County residents.

The MEC was purchased by the county in 2007. In addition to the business incubator space, the building houses the Union County sheriff’s investigative unit, coroner’s office, probate and juvenile court division and historical records and archives.

The incubator space was created in 2008, but a tough economy presented some challenges. Organizers decided to focus efforts on promoting the MEC and the value of starting a business in Union County.

Angela Vertucci, who has served as the MEC site manager since June, said the project is vital to helping small, start-up companies that often lack capital and basic resources, such as permanent office space.

Vertucci should know: In addition to overseeing the MEC in a volunteer capacity, she runs her own small business, a marketing firm she started after leaving a company.

“This is what’s close to my heart and this is what I love to do,” Vertucci said. “It doesn’t matter to me about the money. I had a lot of help from the small-business development center through the chamber, and it was important for me to have that structure to help develop my business.”

Over the course of the summer, nearly all of the available space at the MEC has been rented to small businesses based in, or expanding to, Marysville and Union County.

The center is funded, in part, by the Community Improvement Corp. and the Union County Chamber of Commerce; many of its programs are sponsored by area companies.

The rent paid by the businesses based at the center also helps cover operating costs, Vertucci said.

The MEC is available to anyone needing help with developing business plans or marketing programs.

For those that may not need space on a full-time basis, the MEC-Flex is a shared business suite that offers businesses the ability to rent an area by the day.

For example, Vertucci said, one of the center’s clients is a business owner from Columbus who wants to expand into Union County. He uses the MEC-Flex space to meet clients in Marysville once a week.

The center also offers regular workshops, networking events and other programming, in partnership with Columbus State Community College’s Small Business Development Center and TechColumbus.

The center’s goal is to help its clients become successful within one year, Vertucci said.

Officials hope to find a bigger space that can accommodate at least 10-15 businesses in one space.

When asked what the next five years holds, Vertucci said the outlook is promising.

“The fact that we’re outgrowing our space already — I’ve been at this four months and I’m already looking for more room,” Vertucci said. “The activity sparks innovation. We’re moving forward.”

Organizers hope to eventually start two other incubators — a “green” technology incubator and one geared toward agribusiness — to help keep business booming in Union County.

Additional information about the Small Business Incubator and the Marysville Entrepreneurial Center is available online at www.GrowUnionCountyOH.com.