Community Vitality Update

February 2004 Issue No. 4

This newsletter provides community leaders, economic developers, entrepreneurs, and other Iowans interested in community vitality with features on innovative strategies, updates on CVC projects, and info about opportunities for learning and networking.

2004 Iowa Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs Slated for February 21st.

The Community Vitality Center is co-sponsoring the 2004 Iowa Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs to be held Saturday, February 21st at the University of Iowa Pappajohn Center in Iowa City. The Boot Camp starts at 9:00 A.M. and provides several interesting sessions. One speaker is Bill Ryan who helped launch and brand several successful companies and products in the San Francisco area, including the Apple iMac and Yahoo! Other presentations include Iowa entrepreneur Fred Gratzon, author of The Lazy Way to Success: How To Do Nothing and Accomplish Anything. Mayor Ed Malloy, will tell the Fairfield story of entrepreneurship that led to winning the national 2003 Grassroots Entrepreneurship Award given by National Council of Small Communities.

This all day workshop features a number of successful Iowa entrepreneurs and venture capital investors. Three Iowa startup companies from the list of registrants will be invited to get feedback from a panel of due diligence experts and professional investors in the breakout session called “In the Hot Seat”. The last session of the day will offer entrepreneurs and business people to “Fast Pitch” their business concepts to a number of professional investors, due diligence specialists and business development experts. Andy Axel, COO of Great River Capital, which is managing Iowa’s Fund of Funds, Andy Bock, Early Stage Research, Warren Wechsler from Total Selling and Dennis Wangeman of Iowa First Capital, one of Iowa’s newest venture capital firms, will provide expertise and advice on several panel discussions. For information or reservations, or 641.470.3101 or info@iaCatalyst.com

Community Foundation and Philanthropy Academy March 29th.

The Community Vitality Center is sponsoring a Community Foundation and Philanthropy Academy on Monday, March 29th at the Gateway Center Hotel in Ames. The program starts at 9:00 A.M. Leaders will hear success stories and lessons learned from community foundations in Manning, Fairfield, Dubuque, and Waterloo/Cedar Falls. Dave Dierks of the University of Iowa Foundation and Pat Moline of the ISU Foundation will discuss strategies to identify and assist potential donors. Leaders will examine the current wealth transfer in their home counties; hear findings from a survey of Iowa’s Community Foundations; and learn how their local communities can participate in the new Endow Iowa matching grants and tax credit incentives for donors.

The academy is important for Iowa community leaders and economic developers who are interested in starting or using community foundations in enhance community vitality. Rural counties in particular will likely experience a larger volume of wealth transfers during few decades due to aging population and much of the wealth transfer will go to heirs outside of local communities, unless there are effective mechanisms for re-investing wealth into community projects of interest for those who are willing and able to do so. Collaborators include the Iowa Council on Foundations, Iowa Department of Economic Development, Iowa Non Profit Resource Center, ISU Extension to Communities, and Bank of America.

Advance registration is $25 per person (including lunch). Registration at the door is $35. The program format, speaker list, and registration form can be accessed here. To register, send the registration form and check made out to ISU-Dept. of Economics-CVC to Becky Johnson, CVC, 478 Heady Hall, ISU Ames IA 50011. If questions regarding registration please contact Becky Johnson or by phone: 515-294-3000. If questions regarding program content, please email us.

Introduction to Community Philanthropy is ICN Topic, February 9th

An introduction to how communities can use Community Foundations and Philanthropy as a tool for community vitality will be discussed by those who attend one of 18 ICN forum sites around the state from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM, on Monday, February 9th. Community philanthropy is the forum topic on the regularly scheduled monthly ICN series sponsored by the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Regional Councils of Government. The program includes Mark Edelman, Community Vitality Center, Don Baldwin, Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Rand Fisher, Iowa Area Development Group Foundation, and Mike Johansen, IDED. The purpose of the program is to introduce the opportunities for community foundations, and to identify issues and priorities that should be addressed at the March 29th Philanthropy Academy. To find out more about the ICN sites nearest you, click here. Leaders who want to participate in ICN discussions are encouraged to indicate the ICN site you wish to attend by E-mailing Sue Lambertz.

MyEntre.Net Program Builds Community Entrepreneur Networks

The Community Vitality Center has allocated $45,000 in support of year-two pilot projects in four Iowa communities. The MyEntre.Net program was developed by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Northern Iowa. The program has three steps. The first step involves building community culture supportive of entrepreneurs. The UNI-SBDC works with local community and business leaders to organize a community team that guides project implementation and helps to identify people with potential business startup ideas and existing businesses that may be interested in expansion. A two-hour “Smart Start” program is presented to introduce participants to the basics of starting a business. Entrepreneurs and community sponsors also have access to a local resource room and online resources and networking opportunities through the MyEntre.Net web porthole designed by and for the community.

The second step of the program includes a series of training sessions to improve entrepreneurial skills and competencies of the participants. This includes training on use of the MyEntre.Net tools and a 10-week “hands on” entrepreneurship skills and topics course called, FastTrac™ developed by the Kauffman Foundation and presented by regional SBDC staff.

The final step is a sustainability phase that continues up to two years after the start of the program. Local newsletters and quarterly networking meetings are encouraged to help provide mentoring opportunities and problem solving discussions. Individual entrepreneur participants can gain access to one-on-one counseling via the internet. Successful businesses in the industry are identified for educational tours to companies outside of the local trade area. For more information on this program, E-mail: info@myentre.net , web site: www.myentre.net , or phone: 319-236-8123.