A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     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 March 5, 2005 - Community Progress Initiative to be featured at the U. S. Small Business Administration’s national conference in Washington DC. March 4, 2005, Wisconsin Rapids, WI . . . The Community Progress Initiative will be featured at the Small Business Administration’s national conference in Washington DC on Monday, March 7, 2005. Representing the Progress Initiative will be Connie Loden, Executive Director of Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance, and Kelly Lucas, President/CEO of Community Foundation of South Wood County. The SBA 2005 National Conference is focused on “The Role of Entrepreneurship in Economic Development” and explores best practices of state leaders in initiatives that spur entrepreneurship and economic growth. Only nineteen leaders were chosen from around the United States to present at the conference. The Community Progress Initiative was chosen based on practices that demonstrate market-based results, and Loden and Lucas will speak at the “Cultivating Local Resources II” session, March 7, 2005, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. With fewer individuals working in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, rural communities must embrace entrepreneurship to infuse new economic vitality in their regions. The Community Progress Initiative was selected to present because it seeks to spur small business growth by building a new cultural foundation for entrepreneurship in the community. Loden and Lucas’ discussion will focus on the cultivation of important data and resource networks in the Community Progress Initiative. Other SBA National Conference speakers include: John Moore, Lieutenant Governor, State of Kansas; Mary Fallin, Lieutenant Governor, State of Oklahoma; and David Sampson, Assistant Secretary, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The conference features presentations from economic development leaders in Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The SBA National Conference is co-sponsored by: the Office of Advocacy of the SBA, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Council of State Governments, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association. The Community Progress Initiative is a 3-year joint initiative between Community Foundation of South Wood County and Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance to create an innovative, business-friendly culture in vibrant communities with prosperous local economies. A complete agenda of the SBA National Conference is available at www.sba.gov/advo/research/conference.html. www.sba.gov/advo
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