Innovation Project Moves Entrepreneur Initiative Into Fast Lane

Earlier this week our organization kicked off its Technology Roadmap Initiative (TRI).  This project will help inventors, entrepreneurs, and established businesses evaluate the quality and market readiness of new products or innovations.  We are very excited about the TRI because it takes our fledgling entrepreneur initiative to a whole new level.

We created a focus on entrepreneurship last year.  Supporting emerging businesses and business people is taking a higher priority across the country as communities realize that growing your own base of business is especially important in a global economy.  Indeed, the whole playbook for economic development is changing rapidly as businesses of all shapes and sizes can more effectively build new products using people and know how from around the world.

New Vision’s own entrepreneur network took root last year.  Our initial priority was to build a solid safety net in Yakima County for emerging and established businesses.  As we worked with public and private partners to build a business support network it became obvious that entrepreneurs and new business startups needed more help.  We initially worked with our local Counselors to America’s Business chapter (SCORE) to offer more up-front seminars for people thinking about or in the process of launching a business.  In addition to these basic seminars, we offered more specialized workshops on government contracting options for business, streamlining manufacturing operations, and eliminating waste in office environments.

New educational events for entrepreneurs have been popular.  SCORE’s four part seminar series for startup businesses is attracting a crowd.  We are also excited about increasing interest in other workshops being offered by our Entrepreneur Network partners.

With a good resource network in place for entrepreneurs it is a great time to kick off higher level projects like our Technology Roadmap Initiative.  New Vision’s goal through this project and its Fall business plan contest is to start identifying local startups that have outstanding potential.  We feel that our Valley is no different than many regions – we have some outstanding emerging businesses that can grow like a weed if we help them knock out the hurdles holding them back.

By erecting a solid safety net for entrepreneurs and running initiatives to help especially promising startups our organization believes we can grow our economic garden and produce jobs and wealth along the way.  To learn more about our Technology Roadmap Initiative click here.  And stay tuned for updates from our office surrounding our other new entrepreneur projects.  We are excited about the progress we are making and think that our new entrepreneur initiative is already producing some great dividends for the Yakima Valley.