Community Service
When growing your business helps the local economy.
It might surprise you to find the Appalachian region home to a
thriving entrepreneurial networking hub. After all, the area is
often perceived as economically depressed.
In 1985, Athens, Ohio, resident June Holley resolved to help the
local economy and launched the Appalachian Center for Economic
Networks, or ACEnet, with some colleagues. This nonprofit
organization's three incubators for men- and women-owned
companies help more than 100 food businesses become mature
ventures.
In the kitchen incubator, for instance, dozens of food concerns
share ideas and experience as they mix up salsas, bake cookies and
test various concoctions using commercial equipment. Space in
the incubator is financed either upfront or with a percentage of
royalties; in return, the businesses receive experience and advice.
"We encourage small groups of people to do things
together," says Holley. "People know if they share things
with others, they're going to get back 10 times more."
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This cooperative atmosphere has fostered countless successes in
the food, computer and furniture industries, and Holley is
achieving her goal: The regional economy is improving, and
unemployment rates are down. Says Holley, "We're [helping
to] build an entrepreneurial community."
Contact Source
ACEnet, 94 N. Columbus Rd., Athens, OH 45701, (740)
592-3854