Milan Vrekic will soon step down as the Executive Director of Volta Labs, the organization that has established itself as the hub of the startup community in Halifax.

In an Interview Tuesday, Vrekic said he is eager to return to his first love, which is building young companies. He said he is considering three options, one of which is in Halifax, and his preference would be to remain in the city. He is aiming to leave Volta on about Sept. 1, but it will depend on the ability to find his replacement.

“We basically agreed from day one that this should be a temporary role,” said Vrekic. “We don’t want to build a cult of personality. The role should always be fresh. … The way to do this is to have someone in the role for a year or a maximum of two years.”

Having previously served as Co-Founder and CEO of the secure document-sharing startup TitanFile, Vrekic joined Volta Labs when it opened in May 2013 and played a key role in establishing the startup house and setting its tone.

The facility on Spring Garden Road is home to about a dozen startups, houses Build Ventures and hosts regular events.

Vrekic said the continuity in the organization will come from the staff members and from the board, which includes Jevon MacDonald, Co-Founder of GoInstant, and Patrick Keefe, Partner at Build Venture.

In filling the new position, it’s possible the board will opt for an entrepreneur-in-residence rather than an executive director so the focus will be on working with startup founders.

“We’re looking for someone who has done it [running a startup] before – someone who entrepreneurs can relate to,” said Vrekic. He said his replacement will have to work with inexperienced entrepreneurs and show them how to structure and manage their company, attract investment and land clients. The person should also have a network of contacts in and outside the region to help open doors for entrepreneurs.

Whether Vrekic’s successor is an executive director or not, the Volta team is now looking at expanding its operations and searching for a larger physical space. The startup house has formed a partnership with PropelICT of New Brunswick, which will soon offer 12-week accelerator programs at the facility.

It wants a larger space because it wanted to house more startups, including space for more late-stage companies. (The current tenants are now expected to move on after a year.)