ACEnet: Don’t Just Add,Multiply!

June Holley, ACEnetwww.acenetworks.org

June 2005

ACEnetThe Appalachian Center for Economic Networks is a regional entrepreneurship and economic development organization located in Athens.

Track Record 2004• Assistance to 301 entrepreneurs• Helped 63 start-ups• Increased business sales 67% over 2003• 140 new jobs

Multipliers & Synergies

How to you get economic

activity to take off?

Synergy 1:

Build Clusters from

Local Assets

Enhance Your Regional Flavor!

Regional Flavor is a vegetable soup of all the different ways your region is unique, delightful, and fun.

Regional Flavor Cluster

Regional Flavor helps us link:– Specialty Food/Ag– Artisans– B &Bs– Restaurants– Recreation businesses

Ag from a Regional Flavor Lens

All farms value-add through:• organic• ag/tourism• specialty crops• local markets • direct markets

Kitchen Incubator turns farmers into manufacturers

Processing (& networking)Product Innovation Assistance

Spin Offs

• Businesses spin off new businesses•Casa Nueva Restaurant spins off 18 new businesses in 10 years

• Independent Restaurant Association increases no. of local restaurants• Lower costs by joint purchasing• Local restaurants buy 70-90%local; market farmers

Regional Flavor turns an empty town into an Arts District

Regional Flavor---Art, Food & TourismNelsonville Artists

Synergy 2: Entrepreneurs are networked

• Businesses share information $$$• market access• trends

• Businesses collaborate $$$• marketing & distribution• share workers• joint purchasing

• Businesses innovate $$$• work on products together

How? Catalyst Entrepreneurs

Festivals & Fairs-Pawpaw Fest

Regional Flavor---Art, Food & Tourism

Regional Flavor---Art, Food & Tourism

How? Catalyst Entrepreneurs

A success story

that is influential

Catalyst Entrepreneurs AreContinually Innovating –help them build

a culture of innovation

Helps

Others

Develop

New

Products

Innovative Entrepreneurs

Regional Flavor-

Synergy 3: Build an exciting region that works together

Need regional infrastructure or support system to support entrepreneurs

Infrastructure is built through innovative, collaborative projects

All organizations need to become social entrepreneurs

Social Entrepreneurs Collaborate: Regional Entrepreneurship Network

Regional Brand

Case Example

Brochure mailed to 30,000 people

Results

Innovation Fund

Mural Corridor

Social Entrepreneurs Build the Cluster Networks

• Set up communication enhancers (mtgs, listservs, networking hubs)

• Identify needs/opportunities

• Collaborate to develop ever-changing programs, services

• Work with influential or catalyst entrepreneurs

Tracking That Makes A Difference

• Don’t just track jobs, track networks, collaborations and innovations

• Track and spend more time with catalyst entrepreneurs

Network Map

Policy Strategies1. Local policy initiatives: county level

shifts in $

2. Policy Education• Strategies for Sustainable

Entrepreneurship www.cannetwork.org• Ohio Entrepreneurship Fact Sheet

3. Regional Entrepreneurship Network involves policy influentials

Outcomes

• 300 mostly new businesses creating wealth and higher wage jobs

• Exciting Appalachian Fusion culture attracting and retaining tech businesses

• Ability to collaborate and innovate to create our future