Thursday, April 20, 2006

Entrepreneurism in Iowa

When I was in Wall Lake I met a young reporter, Doug Burns, who is the third generation of owners at the nearby Carroll Daily Times Herald. We had a great conversation about rural Iowa and afterwards he shared with me some of his writings. I especially liked a piece he did entitled: “Carroll, Iowa: A future hatchery of entrepreneurs.” Here is a part of it:

“But, like much of the rest of the state, we fall short with entrepreneurship, with ways to harness the imagination and skills of our most talented young people.

This demands attention.

We need to start early in promoting a spirit of risk-taking and connecting the ideas of the classroom to the prospects of commerce.

Our schools and businesses people should work together more closely.

They should plant the seeds of entrepreneurship early, get kids thinking about coming back to Carroll to start their own businesses and companies.

On a grand scale this could involve a sort of local entrepreneurial fund, in which bright, earnest young people from Iowa State University or the University of Iowa or Des Moines Area Community compete for start-up cash to launch small ventures here, dreaming of big things.”

I couldn’t have said it better. I’m detecting a strong undercurrent of entrepreneurial promotion taking place in Iowa. I hope that it continues to build and develop.

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