The Balance Sheet

November 30, 2007

Interesting Links:

For the most groundbreaking research on the role of entrepreneurship in the economy, check out the Kauffman Foundation website by clicking here.

Did you know Dubois County has seen 76 new business startups from 2002-2006?  That’s head and shoulders above our peer counties!  Click here to see Dubois County’s economic highlights.

For information on our gap financing tool, the Enterprise Loan Fund, click here.

The Regional Economist, the official publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, did a feature on Jasper!  Click here to read it!

Contact DCADC @:

812.482.9650 p

812.482.9421 f

812.631.4767 c

bgrewe@DCADC.org

http://www.DCADC.org

DCADC Picks Entrepreneurs’ Brains

Recently, a dozen Dubois County entrepreneurs gathered for a working lunch to discuss the entrepreneurial business climate of our county.  The goal of the lunch was to identify the needs of start-up businesses in order to aid the DCADC designing programs that address the basic issues facing start-up businesses. 

The group was facilitated by Sue Ellspermann of the USI Center for Applied Research and Economic Development.  She prompted the group with questions about their own businesses, why they went into business, and what their greatest challenges were.  She then asked them what programs they themselves would have found helpful when they were starting their businesses. 

Toward the end of the session, participants were asked to share how they believe the DCADC could best increase the number and the success of entrepreneurial endeavors.  Though there were many great ideas, the following represent the ideas that most excited the group:

o        A bundled package for start-up businesses that would help entrepreneurs gain access to legal services, accountants, lenders, insurance, etc. 

o        Help in finding adequate networking opportunities

o        The development of a “business mentoring” program where people from the established business community could advise small and start-up business owners

o        The retention/attraction of talented young people, who so often leave our community for opportunities elsewhere

o        A “business incubator” facility where office space and equipment could be shared with other start-up businesses until an organization is able to move into their own office. 

Attending the session were Jim Skillman of Skillman & Associates, Mike Braun of Meyer Distributing, Keith Fritz of Keith Fritz Fine Furniture, Dan Fritch of Matrix Integration, Terry Seitz of InterComm Group, Darla Blazey of the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, Sharon Voelkel and Connie Jarboe of AirRide technologies, Darren Patterson of The Mortgage Company, and John Burger of Burger Farms.