1. ACEnet: Don’t Just Add, Multiply! June Holley, ACEnet www.acenetworks.org June 2005

2. ACEnet The 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

3. Multipliers & Synergies How to you get economic activity to take off?

4. Synergy 1: Build Clusters from Local Assets

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

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

7. Ag from a Regional Flavor Lens All farms value-add through: organic ag/tourism specialty crops local markets direct markets

8. Kitchen Incubator turns farmers into manufacturers

9. Processing (& networking) Product Innovation Assistance

10. 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

11. R egional Fl avor turns an empty town into an Arts District

12. R egional Fl avor---Art, Food & Tourism Nelsonville Artists

13. 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

14. How? Catalyst Entrepreneurs

15. Festivals & Fairs-Pawpaw Fest R egional Fl avor---Art, Food & Tourism

17. How? Catalyst Entrepreneurs A success story that is influential

18. Catalyst Entrepreneurs Are Continually Innovating –help them build a culture of innovation Helps Others Develop New Products

19. Innovative Entrepreneurs R egional Fl avor-

20. 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

21. Social Entrepreneurs Collaborate: Regional Entrepreneurship Network

22. Regional Brand

23. Case Example Brochure mailed to 30,000 people

24. Results

25. Innovation Fund Mural Corridor

26. 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

27. Tracking That Makes A Difference Don’t just track jobs, track networks, collaborations and innovations Track and spend more time with catalyst entrepreneurs

28. Network Map

29. Policy Strategies 1. Local policy initiatives: county level shifts in $ 2. Policy Education Strategies for Sustainable Entrepreneurship www.cannetwork.orgwww.cannetwork.org Ohio Entrepreneurship Fact Sheet 3. Regional Entrepreneurship Network involves policy influentials

30. 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