Router are all being operated at once
“I’d like to see an ADX in every city” says Kelley Roy, the founder, owner, and director of the 14,000-square-foot shared makerspace-cum-community center in Portland's Eastside Industrial District. "But I don’t want to leave Portland,” she concedes, with a laugh.
And why would she? In the three-and-a-half years since founding ADX, Roy has seen more than 75,000 members and visitors come through the facility. In that time, she has helped launch more than 200 local businesses, an achievement which has cemented her as a leading proponent for artisanal manufacturing in Portland.
Roy joins me at the coffee bar tucked away inside the ADX complex. Around us, wood sanders, metal grinders, a bandsaw, and a CNC router are all being operated at once. Woodworkers walk by carrying plywood sheets. Electronics enthusiasts work with their heads buried in piles of sensors and micro controller boards. At the opposite corner of the space, a welding class is getting underway.
Nearby, a shop member working on a motorcycle revs the engine to test it, drowning out our conversation. “That happens around here,” Roy laughs.