The Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs building is a place where businesses grow and students’ minds are challenged at The University of Alabama.

Located just across from Lakeside Dining, the AIME building is a two-story, 50,000 square foot multipurpose center housing two multimedia classrooms, two 2,000 square foot office suites and more than 21,000 square feet of research labs.

The building was commissioned in 1996 and completed in December 2000. It was originally called the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence, Dan Daly, director of AIME, said. The building was built with the intent of bringing more manufacturing to the University.

“We have decided that it would be better to focus our efforts on starting up companies rather than bringing manufacturing businesses to the University,” Daly said.

Today, the building mainly focuses on growing small businesses. Businesses housed within AIME are said to be “incubating.” The companies pay rent to use the building, while receiving assistance throughout their business ventures.

(See also “AIME Day to feature local entrepreneurs“)

The companies currently housed within AIME range from international ionic liquid companies to college prep tutoring ventures. IoLiTec, a company that develops applications for liquid salts, is currently incubating within AIME. The company is headquartered in Germany and is using AIME to help grow a U.S. branch of their company.

“They offered a good place for this U.S. branch because they offer lab space and office space, and so you have the additional infrastructure,” Frank Stiemke, president of the U.S. branch of IoLiTec, said. “You can rent this and so this makes it pretty easy to rent the business and get started.”

Stiemke said the people of AIME have have been very helpful, and overall his experiences so far have been great.

“You get a lot of help, not only from the real business relationships in the AIME building, but also on the personal level,” he said. “It was a very warm welcome. This creates a good environment to start in.”

Through the help of AIME, Curt Peinhardt said he was able to create his dream job. He is currently the CEO of Applied Tutoring, which has been business incubating within AIME since 2012.

(See also “AIME to display student, faculty research“)

“I worked in the real world for four years after going to UA for undergrad. I learned sales and marketing and worked in the printing industry, and also worked in real estate for Colonial Properties,” Peinhardt said. “I learned sales experience, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as I wanted it to be. I wanted to be able to always learn.”

Peinhardt said through his job he is now able to learn something every hour. He created Applied Tutoring due to the need to provide students with high-quality tutors. Part of Peinhardt’s business strategy comes from recruiting the graduate students in challenging fields who may not have several hours a week to tutor, but are able to provide high quality instruction.

Applied Tutoring will incubate in AIME through the extent of their lease, which is about four more years, Peinhardt said. He then hopes to move to a building in downtown Tuscaloosa to serve as a headquarters and continue to grow the business.

(See also “Alabama startup company recieves $150,000 NSF grant“)