Are you into the Entrepreneurial Scene? This week the Nashville Entrepreneur Center opened “to connect entrepreneurs with critical resources to accelerate business creation and growth.”
From the Nashville Technology Council website:
The Nashville Tech Story (9/25/2009)
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (www.entrepreneurcenter.com) mission is to connect early-stage entrepreneurs with the people, businesses and resources they need to succeed, and to celebrate deals and entrepreneurial progress, in Middle Tennessee.
“Nashville has already proven to be fertile ground for entrepreneurs; 21.6 percent of our work force is made up of sole proprietors,” said Janet Miller, Chamber chief economic development and marketing officer. “The Nashville Entrepreneur Center will ensure that new generations of entrepreneurs have access to the tools they need to grow and prosper.”
“This is a community effort and we need to say thank you for helping to get the EC established” said NTC President Tod Fetherling. “We literally met with hundreds of entrepreneurs to get their input and have solicited feedback from business organizations, including Nashville Capital Network, SCORE, Nashville Business Incubation Center, Tennessee Technology Development Corporation and many more.”
The EC would not be in existence if were not for Joe Kustelski and our Owen Accelerator Interns. They worked tirelessly this summer to research and create a plan for the EC. The product and strategy is right on point.
“It’s rewarding to work on a project that will have such a profound impact on this city,” said Kustelski. “While Nashville is already home to a large number of self-employed, this resource is a strong starting point for us, as a community, to transform Nashville into one of the country’s most vital environments for entrepreneurs.”
“[The Nashville Entrepreneur Center] is the next logical step in moving Nashville to prominence on the national stage as a place to build the next great business. ‘You built that in Nashville’ should be the norm, not the exception,” said Task Force member Mark Montgomery, Founder of EchoMusic.
The creation of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center is a result of Partnership 2010’s Entrepreneurship Task Force, which was formed in late 2007 to identify opportunities to strengthen Middle Tennessee’s entrepreneurial community.
The 75-member Task Force met for nine months under the co-chairmanship of Robert A. Frist, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of HealthStream, and Michael Shmerling, chairman of Choice Food Group. The Task Force identified seven priority recommendations; first among these was the creation of a virtual entrepreneur resource center, an online community tailored for fundable, scalable, high-growth ventures.
“By assembling resources, brainpower and access to capital all in one place, Nashville is demonstrating to the rest of the country that we’re serious about fostering entrepreneurial activity in our community,” said Shmerling. “Nashville is full of smart, creative, independent people, and this resource center will help them achieve their goals as entrepreneurs.”
Next steps for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center include applying for 501(c)(3) status, hiring key positions and working toward the creation of a physical meeting and co-working space.
“This new resource is invaluable for an entrepreneurial business like mine,” said Joe Freedman, Partner of Music City Tents & Events, LLC. “Now, high-growth businesses in the region will be able to access resources developed specifically for their unique needs.”
Sameera Lowe from Nashville Entrepreneur Center on Vimeo.
