Celebrating 10 Years at the La Kretz Innovation Campus, the Epicenter of CleanTech Innovation in LA

I say it often: on behalf of the City of Los Angeles and LA Department of Water and Power, LACI is proud to be the steward of the incredible La Kretz Innovation Campus (LKIC). Situated in LA’s bustling Arts District, the property that would become LKIC was once a warehouse for Barker Bros–once claimed to be the US’ largest furniture retailer–that stored furniture and fabric as part of LA’s once expansive manufacturing industry. 

It is fitting then that the former Barker Bros building–emblematic of the manufacturing legacy of LA’s economy–was retrofitted to be the home of cleantech innovation in Los Angeles. A veritable sandbox and front door for the clean energy economy and climate innovation in Los Angeles.

For LACI, it is pretty extraordinary to have a world-class facility where, under one roof, startup founders can prototype cleantech hardware, members of the community can get trained in green jobs, students can come learn about energy and water efficiency, and industry and public leaders can convene to tackle the climate crisis. 

Purchased by LADWP in 2010, the building underwent a stunning renovation, designed by John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, with $50 million invested from local, state, federal, and private resources, including a catalytic gift from the late Morton La Kretz, a real estate developer and philanthropist. Hence the name, La Kretz Innovation Campus.

Before he passed away earlier this year, LACI was able to present Mr. La Kretz with the LACItizen Award and celebrate his 100th birthday a bit early. Morton and his daughter, Linda La Kretz Duttenhaver, were instrumental in bringing LKIC to life. Both LA Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and Eric Garcetti were each instrumental in LKIC’s vision, getting it constructed, and opening in 2016, and Mayor Karen Bass has continued to support the campus and LACI’s work to make LA the cleantech capital of the world.

What did these Mayors, a local philanthropist, and untold dozens of other individuals in the community, in the City of LA, LADWP, and other agencies bring to life? For one, a showcase: a LEED Platinum building that includes a 175 KW photovoltaic solar canopy, fast-charger EV stations, two bioswales, and LA’s first public greywater filtration system. 

Here at LKIC, cleantech startup founders develop and refine their clean technologies in the Advanced Prototyping Center, which provides the cutting-edge equipment needed to develop hardware solutions–equipment that is often prohibitively expensive for early-stage startups to purchase on their own. Several startups have even piloted their technologies around the campus. In the last few years alone, LACI startup pilots at LKIC have centered around EV charging infrastructure, radiative cooling paint, bulk food vending machines, sustainable cabinetry, and more. The campus is where founders gather, learning from LACI’s leading program instructors and a network of their peers in an environment that invites collaboration and innovation. 

The benefits of our remarkable campus are similarly extensive for our workforce participants, who receive technical training, industry-recognized certifications, career coaching, case management, and job retention services. Workforce graduates have even shared what they have learned with the Vice President of the United States, multiple cabinet secretaries, and world leaders. 

Over the past decade, LKIC has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors, and the numbers continue to climb. In the past year alone, we have hosted more than 20,000 visitors! The campus has also welcomed and convened several high profile leaders over the years, including President Joe Biden (then Vice President), Vice President Kamala Harris, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (then Speaker of the House), and California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with countless foreign dignitaries–including Pedro Sanchez, President of the Government of Spain. 

We have also hosted an untold number of convenings of public and private sector leaders to set and advance our ambitious targets behind our unprecedented Transportation Electrification and Clean Energy Partnerships, accelerating transportation electrification and clean energy by the time the world arrives for the 2028 Games. Recently, during a visit to LKIC with NBA All-Star, entrepreneur, and Angeleno Russell Westbrook, we announced his role as Co-Chair LACI’s Road to 2028, calling for commitments to action to advance clean air, economic investment, and green jobs.

We are also proud to regularly welcome the next generation of cleantech entrepreneurs and advocates to campus through our Middle School Girls in STEM program and our many student tours. For these emerging leaders, we hope visiting the campus and engaging with its members might inspire them to take steps toward building their own careers in cleantech. 

As we celebrate 10 years at LKIC, we would like to express our deep gratitude to all who have made this campus possible, including LADWP, the City of LA, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Former LA Mayors Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa, Morton La Kretz and Linda La Kretz Duttenhaver, John Friedman Alice Kim Architects, and countless others. 

Here’s to the next decade of creating the future here at LKIC!

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