Joel Gordon is in the pioneering business. As the inaugural Director and CEO of The Launch Pad, Gordon spends his days helping children ignite their passion to make things. “Kids need the opportunity to explore deeply. They don’t have hobbies anymore,” Gordon says.

The Launch Pad is what’s known as a makerspace—a place where people can use cutting-edge equipment and technology to create. Gordon says he hopes one day that people will view makerspaces as closing the circle of innovation. “Our goal is for people to think about makerspaces the way they think about museums and libraries. You go to museums to be inspired, libraries to gain knowledge and makerspaces for the application.”

Since its creation less than two years ago, The Launch Pad is already exposing children to the possibilities of invention that the space provides: “During the day we host student field trips for kids as young as second grade and as old as college students,” Gordon says. “We try to help them broaden their understanding of STEM and show them things they’ve never had an opportunity to see, like 3D printers.” That hands-on learning is exactly what sets The Launch Pad apart from other makerspaces around the country. Most “are great spaces, but they’re not resources for students. They don’t have the teaching component,” Gordon says.

For Gordon, being a maker is in his DNA. He describes growing up in a blue-collar family, saying if there was something they needed, they built it. “I’ve never been ashamed of working with my hands.” Gordon worked in film as a scenic designer before joining the Museum of Discovery as Director of Visitor Experience. During his nearly eight years there, he established the Tinkering Studio, a wildly popular exhibit where kids play with and learn about different raw materials. He takes pride in encouraging people to explore and discover, including his two daughters, 22-year-old Robbin and 8-year-old Lily.

It was a natural step for Gordon to join The Launch Pad, one of four components to the tech start-up Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. He is thrilled when he sees students light up with excitement once they have grasped concepts introduced to them. He hopes to awaken that curiosity in kids throughout Central Arkansas. Through extended partnerships with schools, Gordon is looking forward to opening The Launch Pad up to teachers to teach classes in their facility.

Gordon used one word to sum up what he hopes is on the horizon for innovation in Little Rock: “More.” “That’s what the future is,” he says. “I want people to say, ‘Wow, we really need that,’ instead of ‘Wow, that’s really cool.’”

(Little Rock Family Presents The 2015 Pioneering Parents)