Community Vitality Center Board Minutes

April 19, 2008

Meeting called to order: 10:08 AM

Minutes approved: Blonde/guy that took bus to entrefest

Meeting Presentations:

Michael L. Canney, Credit Card Giving Group Concept

• By 2010 the donor path of choice will be
• 41 – 55 trillion dollars of wealth will be transferred within the next few years.
• .5 basis points are to be directed towards a charity/donor advised fund as defined by the donor utilizing a web based system.
• Request was made for a CVC letter of interest that when added to others will create the critical mass needed to approach the top three credit card issuing banks

Joe Folsom, Director, US Small Business Administration

• The Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise Community Vitality SBA Microloan application was provided to Mr. Folsom for the initial funding of $750,000.
• The Rural Development council will be looking at forming a foundation and plans on implementing some harvest resource meetings.
• The Rural Loan Development program may be launched this spring to target community banks that are currently making less then 20 SBA guarantees per year.

Ellen Huntoon, Legislative update

• 26 – 28 million people are expected to be on food stamps next year which further impacts the task of finding dollars to fund new projects.
• The USDA Microloan program will probably be authorized but not funded.
• CVC has submitted project proposal to USDA and funding request for this year. Last year, CVC received approximately $250,000 from Hatch and Smith Lever funds. This year CVC is requesting Congressionally Directed Appropriations through SUE.

Todd Abrahamson, Superintendent of Sigourney Schools: eSEAL

• Todd contacted Bonnie and Rick seeking some ideas that could be implemented in the schools and the eSEAL program resulted. (e Sigourney Entrepreneurial Academy. ) Grades 7 – 12 and adults of the community.
• Sophomores are tested each year using the meirs-briggs model and each student will have a career plan.
• Desired outcome: a graduate that starts a business in Iowa that hires over 15 employees
• Only incubator site aware of in the United States within a high school setting.
• 4 + 1 day schedule, first 4 days is traditional schedule and Friday is open for the added courses such as the entrepreneurial program.
• 7th grade receive fundamentals of entrepreneurism using the Merrill lynch curriculum, 8th grade focuses on leadership skills, 9th grade works on business planning and incubation using the Papajohn curriculum and decision education, 10th grade learns about selling business options and the 11-12 grade students take applicable college level business courses.
• Revolving loan fund has been established for student business funding.
• 7th – 8th Grade entrepreneurial camps and clubs sponsored by Papajohn and junior achievement
• Incubator: start their new businesses with each student having their own cubicle; currently there are 8 businesses in the incubator with a capacity of 10.
• Each student business will have a business mentor to help them fine tune their business plan. And each student presents their plan both written and verbally to the advisor council.
• 165 participants in eSEAL out of 300 students, the program is part of the junior high curriculum.
• eSEAL student testimonial; four potential drop out students are now currently talking about college courses as a result of their involvement in eSEAL.
• Today’s presentation may be accessed at the CVC website.

Reports

• Nominating Committee: The board will be contacting CVC board members whose terms are expiring and ask whom they recommend as new board members.
• Center operation: Christine Pardee resigned from her position and relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska for family related reasons. Ron Prescott is stepping in and fill some of the responsibilities. CVC is looking into offering NxLevel Microenterprise training programs.
• Philanthropy Academy Evaluation: attendees felt the program was valuable, but the attendance was impacted by the severe weather during the meeting
• Myentrefest evaluation: 250 small businesses participated that made the conference a very positive experience. The decision has been made to create an annual conference similar to this years design.
• Farm Bureaus Renew Rural Iowa and Rural Entrepreneur Roundtable: The round table meeting was a parent to the Entrefest meeting and continues to be a great gathering of Iowa resources to come together and share ideas.
• New Movers Survey Report: Report 5 completed by Sandra Burke was handed out to the board members and will be posted to the CVC website
• Tax Facts: Dan Otto provided an update on the task of compiling revenue and expenses for each municipality and is targeting completion by June.
• Iowa State Legislative Report: The Microenterprise bill is still being considered, sponsored by Bill Dotzler. The bill included the microenterprise, river enhancement and individual development account.

Director’s reports

• Susan Skora: 2 of the 11 affiliates are nearing 1 million dollars in assets. 1500 volunteers working around Iowa that are looking to CVC and ICOF for assistance.
• Sandy Ehrig: Entrefest: felt it was a great opportunity and is looking forward to its location being moved around the state of Iowa.
• Ed Raber: Washington was picked as a Main Street Community Recipient. Moving today into their new office building after the previous one burned in January.
• Burt Chojnowski: recently received notice of being a finalist for the North Iowa award and submitted a grant to the USDA support the local community. Plans on purchasing an old Hy-Vee and convert it into a local food artisan food center. Fairfield first organization that supports the 150 non profits in the county to promote the non profits work. Applied to CVC for grant for middle school entrepreneurial program. Northwest Area Foundation has a meeting in Fairfield on May 29.
• Rick Morian: Ragbrai overnight stop
• Mark: is showering at ricks place for ragbrai. Local philanthropy group template to tell their local story for green, story and Hardin counties. One item is to provide an outreach to reunion folks coming back.
• Carol Smith: CVC grant to work with farmers in western Iowa, and they are setting up a local marketing group with 200 members and looking at aug 2009 to open.
• Jane Halliburton: Woodbury co. food project has been recognized national as a community sustainability award.
• Bonnie Meier, Sioux County Step Grant through the dept of education and all 5 districts are working together to change the curriculum as what the business want
• Mayor Erb: Charles city hosts the Downtown Summit in August

Meeting adjourned: 2:00 PM

CVC Board members enjoyed visiting the eSEAL incubator site to meet with students and talk about their newly started businesses and plans for their future work. Congratulations to Sigourney High School for a job well done!