Community Vitality Update

November 2004 Issue No. 13

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.

NW Iowa Entrepreneurial Workshop in Sheldon on December 2nd

Joanne Stockdale, 2003 Iowa Small Business Person of the Year and National Runner-up in 2003 will keynote the NW Iowa Entrepreneurial Workshop on December 2, 2004. Stockdale is owner of Northern Iowa Die Casting Inc., which manufactures aluminum and zinc die castings for original equipment manufacturers. Since she purchased the company in 1984, it has grown from six employees to 100 employees. Sales have grown from $225,000 in 1984 to $10 million in 2002. Stockdale is one of the few women nationally to own and operate a die casting company. Also during the day, several panels will focus on entrepreneurial topics. Stacey Timmer of Blue Moon Candles in Sheldon, Dan Winchell of Subway and Holzhauer Motors in Cherokee, and Mark Pierce of Builders Sharpening in Cherokee are scheduled for a panel focusing on retail and service industries of the region. A second panel examines manufacturing and processing industries with Rae Lynn Sanculi of Mad Butcher Enterprises in Ruthven, Brent Thorn from JTV Manufacturing and Mark Bogenrief of Bogenrief Studios in Sutherland.

The NW Iowa Entrepreneurial Workshop is being organized by Iowa State University Extension, O'Brien County Economic Development, and Northwest Iowa Community College with a grant from the Community Vitality Center. For more information and to pre-register for the conference call the O'Brien County Extension Office at (712) 957-5045. The workshop cost is $15 pre-registration is requested by November 30, 2004.

Community Entrepreneurship Academy Attracts 150 to Fairfield

Each quadrant of Iowa and several other states were among the 150 participants attracted to the Community Entrepreneurship Academy in Fairfield. One participant said we can immediately implement groups to mentor our entrepreneurs the conference helped to identify the possibilities for next steps. Several participants encouraged greater focus on entrepreneurship to move Iowa from the cellar in national rankings for business startups. The participants rated several panels highly for their innovative entrepreneur development demonstrations and ideas for promoting an entrepreneurial culture. Power point presentations are available on the CVC website: www.cvcia.org under "Community Entrepreneurship Presentations."

In his keynote presentation, Dr. Tom Lyons, University of Louisville, discussed creating an entrepreneurial transformation pipeline system. While each nonmetro community can and should create some capacity for developing entrepreneurs, most communities will not have capacity to support all three of the major entrepreneurial development strategies. These include (1) enhancing performance of existing companies, (2) incubation of new startups, and (3) selective attraction of additional entrepreneurs.

The kickoff speaker was Senator Tom Harkin. The first Community Entrepreneur Leadership Award was presented to Mark Hamilton, a successful rural media and publishing entrepreneur from Iowa Falls who was instrumental in founding Positively Iowa and the Community Vitality Center. The first Community Entrepreneurship Award was presented to Fairfield for innovative concepts in developing entrepreneurial programs, people, and networks for the benefit of all Iowans. Many Fairfield entrepreneurs were highlighted at the Conference. The CVC is collaborating with the RUPRI National Rural Entrepreneurship Center in developing a Case Study of Fairfield which will soon be on the national center's website: www.ruraleship.org.

Boot Camp for Art Entrepreneurs on November 6, 2004

Entrepreneurial artists are encouraged to attend the Boot Camp for Art-preneurs scheduled for 9AM to 4PM on Saturday, November 6, 2004 at the Fairfield Best Western Inn. The theme is "Painting the Business Picture for Creating and Supporting Artists, Art-based Businesses and Art Entrepreneurial Communities." Several special presentations include: Barry Moltz, author of You Need To Be a Little Crazy to Start Your Own Business and Anita Walker, Director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs on the Importance of the Creative Economy. One panel will feature successful Iowa art entrepreneurs who will talk about how they started their businesses, how they funded them, and how they made them successful. Another artist panel is titled "The Creative Palette of Iowa and How We Connected to Our Markets."

The conference is co-sponsored by the Iowa Arts Council, Fairfield Cultural Alliance, Iowa Cultural Coalition, Community Vitality Center, Fairfield Entrepreneurs Association, and Edward Jones Investments. Advanced registration is $35 until November 1, or $45 at the door. The student rate is $17.50 advanced or $22.50 at the door. To register contact: Sally Chandler - schandler@fairfieldiowa.com or call 641-472-2111. For more information contact: info@iaCatalyst.com or call 641-470-3101.

Philanthropy Satellite Program Continues 7 p.m. on November 29

The 4th in a series of four statewide satellite meetings on Community Philanthropy will air at 7:00 p.m. on November 29, 2004 at many county extension office locations across Iowa. After short presentations, a panel of four experts will respond to questions called in from across the state. The satellite program will be one hour in length and will be followed by local discussions at most locations. The local discussion will focus on progress made since the previous satellite program and next steps to be taken to enhance local philanthropy.

To find the nearest meeting location, please visit the ISU Extension Calendar at: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ and enter "Communities" for category and "June: for the month, or contact your County Extension Office to express interest in attending the nearest site or having a site hosted locally. Copies of the video from the first satellite program can also be obtained by contacting the County Extension Office or the CVC by email: cvc@iastate.edu.

Comments and CVC Contacts

If you have comments, suggestions, innovative ideas, or community success stories, please email us at cvc@iastate.edu and indicate your comment. If you would no longer like to receive this newsletter or are receiving duplicates, simply type duplicate or unsubscribe in the subject line. For more information about our mission and projects visit our web site at: www.cvcia.org .

COMMUNITY VITALITY CENTER
A Catalyst for Creating Real Impact in Real Communities
The Community Vitality Center Board represents university, agency, and diverse community interests from across the state of Iowa. Iowa State University Extension serves as the administrative host and fiscal agent for the Community Vitality Center.
477 Heady Hall, Ames, IA 50011-1070
Phone: 515-294-3000 Fax: 515-294-3838.