‘A good economic decision’

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A view of Harrison Park filters in the windows as Mary Hoskins, (foreground, from left) Dusan Acamovic, Kristin Lusin-Smolinski and Matt Siecker of Green Light Creative work at the Merge Building in Hammond, Ind. Thursday February 16, 2012. Owners of three businesses, ds303, Accucraft Imaging and Green Light Creative, purchased the building and house their creative businesses there, along with offering rental space for other businesses. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media

If you go

The inaugural MergeArts art exhibition/charity event will start immediately after the Merge building ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Feb. 24 at 5920 Hohman Ave., Hammond. The event is invite-only; to request an invite, contact info@mergearts.com. For more information on MergeMeetings, log on to http://www.mergebuilding.com/_images/MergeMeetings.pdf, e-mail info@mergemeetings.com or call 931-4005.

To view the Merge building video, log on to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgwJ_oyrGg8

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Updated: February 20, 2012 7:52PM

HAMMOND — Over the last decade, the city’s downtown has grown its technology base via its small-business incubator and its art scene through the Towle Theatre, and Paul Henry and Uncle Freddy Galleries, but a new venture among four veteran business owners blends both and sets an example of cooperation, shared resources and above all, fun.

By looking at the building at 5920 Hohman Ave., it’s hard to imagine that just a year ago, the law offices of Beckman, Kelly & Smith resided there. Now named Merge, the 17,000 square-foot behemoth breathes modern vitality into the Victorian neighborhood, with its taupe exterior with bright red-orange trim matching Hermann Gurfinkel’s “Man of Steel” sculpture overlooking it at Harrison Park across the street.

And as the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 5-month-old creative arts venture inches closer, the inside keeps changing at every turn, so much so that the multimedia presentation Merge partner John Vezmar created for it seems quaint.

“I almost can’t stand to even look at it,” said Merge partner Seda Turan-Yahne with a laugh. “We’ve done so much in even the last few weeks that it’s not even the same place.”

Merge — comprised of two advertising agencies, DS303 and Greenlight Advertising, owned by Turan-Yahne and Tim Simic, respectively; East Chicago printing firm Accucraft Imaging, owned by Leon Dombrowski; and Vezmar’s Vezmar Media Group — was conceived when the first three, who’ve been friends since their days at a Highland graphics firm, mentioned to one another they were looking for new office space. The idea of finding one space for all of them sounded like smart business sense, Simic said.

“We thought, ‘Why not create a space where everyone stays independent, but we can share equipment costs?’” he said. “It sounded like a good economic decision.”

The three went to Mark McLaughlin, executive director for the Hammond Development Corp., to find the space and secure the funding. Through his help and that of Erica Passauer, president and executive director of the Regional Development Corp., the group secured a small-business loan funded 60 percent through People’s Bank and 40 percent through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

McLaughlin had worked with Turan-Yahne before, when she opened DS303 at its original 5640 Hohman Ave. home, so he had an idea of Merge’s potential. But the four have exceeded even his expectations.

“They’ve created their own creative incubator, so they’re actually kind of my competition,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a wonderful partnership, and I really think they’re on to something.

“It’s a really good sign for what the future may hold for the city.”

The rest of the Merge’s transformation has come through the blood, sweat and tears of each partner and a lot of people who’ve granted them favors. They’re waiting for delivery of a six-color Gutenberg press, and they recently installed a 1920s pool table in what will be a shared lounge area for entertaining clients.

Clients will also have a private room in which to hang out away from the hustle for press checks, and the partners encourage people to take advantage of their “boardroom,” which is equipped and run by a separate entity within the company, MergeMeetings.

The best part of all has been the working relationship the respective companies have formed with one another, they agreed.

With more than 100 years of creative experience among the groups, it’s never dull.

“Merge exemplifies that saying ‘The sum is larger than its parts,’ ” Accucraft’s Dombrowski said. “We’ve all been successful individually, but now if it can be shared, that’s even better.”

And the atmosphere will continue to change every quarter, too, thanks to MergeArts, the partners’ philanthropic arm. Each quarter, Merge will solicit two pieces of art from local artists, who will be asked to set the pieces’ prices. It will mark up the pieces 10 percent over the artists’ cost and then, once the piece is sold, add an additional 10 percent and donate the proceeds to local charities. They will host quarterly parties to showcase the art.

“There’s a constant flow of art coming in, and every three months, the landscape will change, creating new, inspiring thoughts,” Dombrowski said.

Vezmar, who also owns Blue Room Cafe and who was Merge’s first tenant, is excited to have his first official office space in such a progressive space, but also in the city he calls home.

“There are just so many things going on downtown now, that (Merge) is only going to add to it,” he said. “It never crossed my mind to be anywhere else.”