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SCC Entrepreneurship Center Holds Fifth Anniversary Celebration(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) LINCOLN, Neb., Feb. 22 -- Southeast Community College issued the following news release: Southeast Community College's Entrepreneurship Center is celebrating its fifth anniversary during National Entrepreneurship Week. At the same time, President Obama is taking the opportunity to help push high-growth entrepreneurship into the spotlight. Monday afternoon, SCC's Entrepreneurship Center celebrated its fifth year, highlighting past accomplishments, present projects and activities, and hinting at some future endeavors. Today, Obama, five Cabinet secretaries and his top economic advisors visited northeast Ohio for a White House "Winning the Future" Forum on Small Business. After addressing small-business leaders at the forum, the president and cabinet members participated with the local business leaders in five breakout sessions, including entrepreneurship and work force development. In an interview with the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, one of the Cabinet secretaries accompanying Obama to Cleveland, said, "The entrepreneurial spirit in America is one of our greatest assets, and small-business owners who grow these fast-growing companies create the majority of the jobs." Dr. Jack Huck, president of SCC, gave a brief history of the Center, noting that it opened in March 2006 and opened its business incubator 10 months later. Huck also singled out Tim Mittan, the Center's director, for his leadership and guidance through the years. Since it began, SCC's Entrepreneurship Center has received more than $250,000 in grant and outside funding to develop programs and procedures, has enrolled 840 students in entrepreneurship courses, and has accepted 26 businesses into the incubator. Of those 26, 16 are active and five have graduated from the program. New tenants in the SCC business incubator are Crystal Clear Photo and Design, One World Healing, Advantage Training Plus, Changing Spaces SRS, SirkDot Innovations, Short Bowel Syndrome Foundation, and Complete Insurance. One of the companies to graduate is Meridian Consulting, Inc., owned by David Hefley. "The incubator was a sounding board for me," Hefley said. "Other businesses with more experience could feed me, and I could feed others who were less-experienced than me." Meridian Consulting has more than 10 years of experience in the computer arena, including managed IT services, online backups, security, networking, disaster recovery and upgrades. The company left the incubator last summer for its new home at 650 J St. in the Mill Towne Building just south of the Haymarket in Lincoln. Hefley said SCC's business incubator is "a great idea" and allows businesses to develop a greater understanding of what it takes to become successful. "For most of the people here, this is the first business they've started," Hefley said. "You're going to make mistakes. But it's much better to make mistakes in an incubator without the dire consequences of tapping into lines of credit and things like that." Peigi Mitzner is a nationally certified massage therapist whose Serenity Health Massage also left the incubator last summer. She had difficulty leaving the comfort of SCC's Entrepreneurship Center staff and resources. "It was like leaving family," Mitzner said. "The Entrepreneurship Center is a real blessing. Tim is a mentor who provides a wonderful balance of leadership and space and autonomy. I'm blessed to have been here." Serenity Health Massage is now located at Salon MohVi and Spa, 5530 O St., Suite 1. The Center also is involved in national and international projects. Earlier this month, the American Association of Community Colleges announced the selection of SCC and nine other colleges from across the nation to participate in a pilot Virtual Incubation Network, an innovative approach to encourage the creation of more start-up businesses to help sustain continued economic recovery. The British-U.S. project intends to create a common knowledge among the students in the world of entrepreneurship and enterprise. The project will create an environment that will compare and contrast business and enterprise practices, as well as customs and traditions. This understanding will allow broader and long lasting networks to be created. The British project has also created a common curriculum for SCC's Event-Venue Operations Management certificate. Mitzner and Hefley were among five business incubator graduates presented awards Monday. Others were Ellen Rainbolt, Family Solutions; Kris Thaller, Coaching Dimensions; and Deb Savage, Keeping Nurses Engaged Community Network. Additional awards were presented. April Hilpert-Whitney was presented the Entrepreneurship Alumni Award. She and her husband Spencer own Capital City Auto Recyclers in Lincoln, which sells used, rebuilt and new auto parts for domestic and import vehicles. Dr. Dennis Headrick, vice president for instruction at SCC, was presented the Global Entrepreneurship Leader award for the work he has done for the Center and for his involvement in entrepreneurship education in Nebraska. Linda Hartman, education specialist/recruiter, was presented the Global Entrepreneurship Educator award. After effectively filling the incubator, Hartman created educational learning sessions for the new businesses, as well as a major portion of the Center's continuing education workshops. Brooke Robbins was presented the Global Entrepreneurship Administrative Assistant award for her role in developing a front office for the Center, creating marketing materials, planning events, and creating the content on the Web site. TNS sm92 110223-sm92-3252700 71SibanaM (c) 2011 Targeted News Service |