A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News May 8, 2006 - Website to aid entrepreneurs By: Andrew Hellpap, Daily Tribune Staff The Community Progress Initiative is getting into the online dating business -- sort of. Debuting May 16, the Progress Initiative will have a Web site to help entrepreneurs. The Ideas Incubator, www.ideasincubator.org, is a way for business people to present ideas or suggestions for new businesses to each other and communicate about the possibility of implementing the ideas, said Melissa Loken, Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance business development specialist. "It's a dating service for entrepreneurs and people with business ideas," she said. The site was created by a Community Progress Initiative industry cluster. It's based on a Web site also used in North Carolina, said its designer and builder, John Gethers of Power Computing Solutions Inc., in Wisconsin Rapids. The Web site will be a unique location that will allow users to submit business ideas, track them, if registered, and use a message board to discuss problems or bounce ideas off each other, Gethers said. "It's really a wonderful conception," he said. By suggesting an idea for a business through the site, entrepreneurs can discuss or receive feedback on any aspect of the ideas development, Gethers said. For example, a prospective businessperson could get an idea of the startup cost of a business from people who have been there, he said. "We need networking in the area," to help grow the regional economy, Gethers said. The Community Progress Initiative will host a breakfast at 8 a.m. May 16 at Hotel Mead to unveil the Web site. The site has been in development for about a year and half, Loken said, but only took about a month to build. It's a work in progress, Gethers said, so anyone who uses the site can make suggestions for improvement by e-mailing the contacts listed in the contact us section. Andrew Hellpap can be reached at 422-6728 or at ahellpap@wisconsinrapids tribune.com. Click here to visit www.ideasincubator.org today!
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