Entrepreneurship Initiatives

In 2004, Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. began a set of initiatives to promote the development of "entreprenurial communities" in Wisconsin. This has grown into a series of partnerships and networks, and the scope of work has broadened into the arts, agriculture, tourism, and business incubators. Below are listed our goals for 2006, as well as a recent history of our partnership initiatives.

"An Entrepreneurial Community is not merely a community that supports entrepreneurs or entrepreneurship development, it is a community that embraces an entrepreneurial approach itself in its development strategies. Investment in entrepreneurship is more than helping start businesses, it is building a community culture that supports and develops all types of enterprises, including non-profit enterprises or “social entrepreneurship.” It includes learning new perspectives on, and approaches to, community development challenges, and investing in people as well as products."
- From "Creating the New Rural Economy" conference, October, 2004

2006 Objectives:

Develop 3 regional Dairy Enterprise Networks that support beginning dairy farmers.
Provide training and development for rural community leaders in elements and aspects of the New Economy, including regional partnering and cooperation, socio-economic strategy development and “creative economy” features including the arts, history and culture.
Assist and support partner agencies and organizations in their efforts to build entrepreneurial communities and entrepreneurship in Wisconsin, by co-sponsoring events and activities; presenting, facilitating or participating in workshops and sessions hosted by partner organizations and agencies; and publicizing partner events and resource

2005 Entrepreneurship Initiatives:

Carrying forward the objective to help communities become more entrepreneurial in their development work, begun with the 2004 conference "Creating the New Rural Economy."
The Entrepreneurial Communities Potluck - a roundtable learning, networking and resource exchange
“Grow Wisconsin Creatively” initiative of Arts Wisconsin to educate on the economic impact of the arts
Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network statewide integrated system and partnership of entrepreneurship support
In cooperation with the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin, helped plan and present the Wisconsin Business Incubation Association annual conference.
Wisconsin Agricultural Innovation Center - agricultural occupations related entrepreneur training services
“The Role of Entrepreneurship in Economic Development” [PDF file of proceedings] national conference sponsored by U.S. Small Business Administration, Council of State Governments and Kauffman Foundation
Presentations on key learnings from the 2004 Enterprising Communities Study Tour.
Co-sponsor a statewide listening session on entrepreneurship, led by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. As a result, joined to form a National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship.
Assisted with the development of ArtsBuild, a southwest Wisconsin initiative to support the arts as a viable community economic development initiative. Read about it by clicking here. [MS Word document]

Previous Initiatives:

From 1998-2004, Wisconsin Rural Partners supported training and network development activities to promote entrepreneurship development in Wisconsin. These include:

a statewide entrepreneurship collaboration system design and support strategy
educational tours of successful entrepreneurship development operations and communities
promotion of entrepreneurial development services and resources, and
education and training for rural community leaders in entrepreneurial development strategies