About 26 West Center
Start Here.
The new 26 West Center was created with one goal in mind – to make entrepreneurship and careers in technology accessible to everyone. That, of course, includes State College of Florida students, alumni, faculty and staff. What makes the 26 West Center so unique is that all the services are also available to residents of the Bradenton/Sarasota area and beyond. In other words, the 26 West Center is not just for students.
Entrepreneurs are Successful Here.
The 40,000 square-foot 26 West Center is home to a suite of services for entrepreneurs including the Business Growth Lab that includes 11 offices and 29 desks that can be leased by anyone to start or expand a business.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners can also experience the Entrepreneurship Academy that offers short courses, like the 5-class “Entrepreneurship Essentials” course or 3-class “Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs” course. Most classes take place once a week during early morning or evening hours to accommodate those that may be pursuing entrepreneurship as a side hustle. The courses do not require admission to State College of Florida or college prerequisites. That makes it easy to quickly learn important concepts and best practices needed to launch and grow a successful business. The courses are designed to be interactive and hands-on and are taught by successful entrepreneurs and subject matter experts. This provides a natural ecosystem of peers, mentors, and advisors that are critical in the launch and growth of any business.
Coders are Successful Here
The SCF Coding Academy helps you learn the skills you need to launch your career in a high-demand technology job in less than six months. Anyone can start here to train for careers in coding, cloud computing, data science and cybersecurity. The Coding Academy leverages SCF’s faculty, career planning resources and industry connections to lead you to career success at an accelerated pace.
All courses are open to the public and do not require college admission or college prerequisites. Coding Academy courses are powered by industry leaders, such as Flatiron, AWS, and ThriveDX to deliver industry-recognized training and certifications. Simply put, taking a course at the SCF Coding Academy can be career changing and life changing. Learn and grow with peers and award-winning instructors who provide a powerful network of mentorship and collaboration leading you to career success that lasts long past the classes.
Our Team
Be successful Here.

Kim Richmond

Desh Bagley

Phillip Phifer

Kayla Yother

Director, 26 West Entrepreneurship Center
Kim Richmond
Kim is a passionate brand builder in every sense of the word. As the Director of the 26 West Entrepreneurship Center at State College of Florida, she is creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem including successful founders, mentors, and investors to support entrepreneurs and small business owners and fuel innovation and economic growth in the Bradenton/Sarasota region.
She is a senior executive with extensive marketing and branding experience. She was Executive Vice President, Marketing at FAO Inc. and a member of the senior management team that successfully repositioned and relaunched FAO Schwarz after the sale of the company. Kim has also held senior marketing positions at other major retailers including Zany Brainy, The Right Start, Charming Shoppes and Sears. In addition to her extensive retail background, she also spent seven years at Kraft Foods where she developed a new corporate identity when the $5 billion division was sold to a private equity firm.
Kim also has deep academic experience. She has served as Program Manager and full-time faculty in the Entrepreneurship Program at State College of Florida. In addition, she has been an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, The State College of New Jersey and Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. Kim is a recognized authority in sales and marketing and is the author of two books – The Power of Selling and Brand You. She is a frequent speaker at industry and academic events.
Giving back to the communities in which she lives is important to Kim. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Literacy Council of Sarasota. She also served on the Board of Governors of the Philly Ad Club, the largest professional organization of marketing and advertising professionals in the Philadelphia region with 2,600 members.
Kim holds a Master of Business Administration from Loyola Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts from Northern Illinois University.
Email:richmok@scf.edu

Director, SCF Coding Academy
Desh Bagley
Deshjuana “Desh” Bagley comes to SCF from Hillsborough Community College, having served as the FLATE Outreach Manager and Advanced Lab Technician. There she was responsible for incorporating and facilitating STEM enrichment into existing statewide curriculum based on Florida State Standards. She serves as the Program Delivery Partner for FIRST®️ LEGO®️ League robotics throughout a sixteen-county region for over 100 teams and 500 volunteers.
Desh brings a commitment to quality training from her previous experiences as an Amazon Virtual Customer Service Trainer and Team Manager. She is a highly ranked national trainer for Fortune 500 companies through SkillPath/CompuMaster. Desh has a wide array of experiences working with community and industry partners to deliver STEM-focused training and educational offerings.
Email:bagleyd@scf.edu

Lead Technical Support Specialist
Phillip Phifer
Phillip Phifer is the Lead Technical Support Specialist for 26 West Center. He graduated from State College of Florida in August of 2019 with an associate degree in Computer Science. He is certified by CompTIA in Security Plus and Network Plus. Currently, Phillip is pursuing his Apple Certified Support Professional certificate, with the end goal of becoming a System Administrator.
On the weekends, Phillip enjoys the outdoors by hiking, bicycling, and kayaking with his fiancé.
Email:phiferp@scf.edu

For press inquiries please contact SCF Communications and Marketing at news@scf.edu or 941-752-5320.
Contact Form
Directions
26 West Center is located on the State College of Florida Bradenton campus in the Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation (Building 8).
When you enter the campus from 26th Street West, turn left at the first stop sign. Then, turn right at the second stop sign after that. Building 8 (Center for Advanced Technology & Innovation) is the second building on your right. See picture above.
You may park anywhere in the lot. Parking permits are not required.
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