AdvantageWest Announces CEC Program Outline, Seeks Letters of Intent by May 15
Date Posted: 4/25/2007
Asheville Regional Airport, NC – AdvantageWest Economic Development Group announced today the program outline of its new Certified Entrepreneurial Community (CEC) program to local communities throughout western North Carolina. It advised counties and municipalities in the 23-county region that communities seeking such certification have until May 15 to submit letters of intent to participate in the program. AdvantageWest has also made significant progress in pursuing a trademark for the Certified Entrepreneurial Community name and program.
On March 2, AdvantageWest CEO Dale Carroll announced the new CEC program at a state-wide entrepreneurship summit in Raleigh, indicating that in order to qualify as “entrepreneur ready,” a community will need to demonstrate high-level connectivity for e-commerce, access to capital, user-friendly permitting systems, K-12/higher education collaboration, commitment to entrepreneurs from the local Chamber of Commerce and economic development commission, and other attributes that greatly improve the business environment for entrepreneurial companies.
AdvantageWest has now unveiled the rigorous five-step process communities and/or counties must go through to receive CEC certification. Based on the work of the Rural Policy Research Institute (www.rupri.org) and also including strategies tailored by AdvantageWest to the mountain region, this program is expected to provide a substantial benefit to existing businesses and start-up enterprises. These benefits include better broadband for e-Commerce, improved access to capital and people (partners, employees and customers), simpler permitting and licensing, and the creation of a peer network.
Step One — A Community Readiness Certification requires resolutions from elected officials and community organizations outlining their support, the naming of a sponsoring organization that will shepherd the CEC process, proof of an economic development policy that goes beyond the traditional recruitment model, a preliminary inventory of entrepreneurship programs operating in the community, the leadership team that is committed to building and supporting an entrepreneurship program, a statement outlining the community’s willingness to work beyond the community or county borders and collaborate for resources that will nurture entrepreneurs, and a willingness to invest in the CEC program.
Step Two — A Community Assessment Certification entails establishing a baseline of the community’s current support for entrepreneurs, clarification of development goals, mapping the assets the community can marshal to support the development strategy, and a preliminary inventory of the entrepreneurial talent currently living and working in the community.
Step Three — A Community Strategy Certification requires a comprehensive strategy for entrepreneurial growth, including a detailed plan for broadband Internet deployment and a means for entrepreneurs to easily acquire permits and services through “one stop shopping.” It is during this stage of the process that communities will be creating a culture of rich resources for entrepreneurs in western North Carolina.
Step Four — A Community Capacity Certification entails identifying and documenting community resources, and developing a system for these resources to work in tandem and be easily accessible.
Step Five — In the final stage of certification, the Community Evaluation Process, the community will map and document its entrepreneurial talent in detail and identify which ones show the most potential for growing their businesses. Entrepreneurs will be advised of the community resources that are in place to support them, and they will be energized.
“AdvantageWest will provide significant support to counties and communities that achieve CEC status,” said Betty Huskins, AdvantageWest’s Senior Vice President of External Relations. “Initially, AdvantageWest will promote CEC communities through a wide range of marketing tools, including site consultant familiarization tours and signage, and provide training for the communities’ leadership teams from the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.
“Longer term, AdvantageWest will establish a revolving loan fund for qualified entrepreneurs in CEC communities, secure funding for last-mile broadband and provide technical assistance to help participating communities meet their goals,” Huskins said. “We are growing the Western North Carolina economy one business at a time.”
The letters of intent that interested county or municipal government must submit to AdvantageWest by May 15 should include a statement of commitment and desire to complete the CEC program, a description of funding set aside for the program (in-kind staff time, any new resources, etc.), and the staff and sponsoring organization responsible for implementation that will serve as AdvantageWest’s partner during the CEC process.
“I am truly excited about the CEC program initiated by AdvantageWest,” said Patricia Mitchell, Director of Economic Development for Ashe County. “There is increasing awareness on the part of government at all levels that entrepreneurial efforts are often our best opportunity to build viable and sustainable economies and that entrepreneurs who are provided support services and training are appreciably more likely to be successful. Communities that are certified as being "entrepreneur ready" have great potential for increasing entrepreneurial success.”
“The CEC program is attractive for us in Graham County because it provides a framework to follow in developing and supporting the entrepreneurial community,” said Melody Adams, Graham County Planning and Economic Development Planner. “By having that guide to follow, we can spend more time working with entrepreneurs and less time figuring out what we should be doing. In a community like Graham that has limited resources, working smarter with less is the key to a project’s success.”
“The Certified Entrepreneurial Community program is a great concept,” said Mark Clasby, Director of Economic Development for Haywood County. “It will help us determine what actions we need to take to help entrepreneurs succeed and facilitate growth in our communities. The new CEC program is modeled after AdvantageWest’s very successful Certified Industrial Site (CIS) Program, and I believe it has the same kind of promise.”
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"As a life-long resident of western North Carolina I can’t imagine a more beautiful or diverse place to live and work."
D. Samuel Neill
Attorney-At-Law & AdvantageWest Board Member
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