Estill Development Alliance

EKU BUSINESS INCUBATOR SUPPORTS
LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS STRIVING TO GROW BUSINESSES
RICHMOND, Ky. – Tucked quietly away in a corner of Eastern Kentucky University’s Business and Technology Center are several rather non-descript small offices.
But it’s home to four area entrepreneurs who are taking advantage of a smorgasbord of services available through the Center for Economic Development, Entrepreneurship and Technology at EKU to grow their fledgling businesses.
The four entrepreneurs include an EKU student and faculty member, some recent graduates from the University, and a local resident. Their products and services run the gamut: computer software, forest-based beekeeping and honey production, an online conduit for buying and selling surplus and salvage building materials, and creative services such as graphic design and photography.
CEDET houses the Eastern Region Innovation and Commercialization Center (ICC), a Small Business Development Center and Entrepreneur Services. It also houses office space for clients of the ICC Business Accelerator, more commonly known as an incubator.
“We have a distinct advantage in that we can leverage all our programs, services and individual expertise to help our clients grow their businesses and reach their goals,” said CEDET Director Ian Mooers. “Also, because we’re located at a university, already we’re seeing our clients work with faculty and students on class projects.”
Gary Marshall, who serves as executive director of the Eastern Region ICC and director of the Business and Technology Accelerator, said his role is to “support, mentor, and provide access to programs, partners, service providers and funding resources. Because of the accessibility to EKU faculty together with the expertise and services offered (by others within CEDET), we believe these clients will have the advantage of the best one-stop location to facilitate successful business start-up and growth to beat the odds of the typical start-up and contribute to local economic development.”
As director of the SBDC, Michael Rodriguez assists incubator clients with business plans, marketing plans, marketing research and industry analysis. “The SBDC is also available to provide lender loan packaging assistance if the incubator tenants have a need for funding and is able to assist with the refinement of their business plans as well as development of financial projections and completion of financial statements and other documentation needed by a commercial lender.”
Kristel Smith, director of entrepreneur services, works with each of the clients to “help them develop their business growth strategy, innovative direction, or technological capacity through coaching, mentoring, training or other support or assistance.”
CEDET staff members meet with the incubator clients at least once a month.
Current clients are:
• Software Masters, Ken Jensen, Richmond, owner. Jensen began writing computer software programs many years ago, mostly database-related applications. More recently, his focus has shifted to providing database-driven functionality behind the scenes of graphically appealing websites that others had created. “However, as a subcontractor in a struggling economy, I am dependent on the availability of work that others generate, not a good business model.” To achieve more self-sufficiency, Jensen created several websites to generate a more solid income, including PostAnEvent.com, TheLatestInformation.com, MasterWeddingPlanner.com, and MathforPrizes.com. “My biggest shortcoming is my lack of marketing experience, to be able to take these websites from a finished product to a successful revenue source. And I was at that stage when I heard about the incubator program. What they do is bring knowledge, experience and resources to the table (and) provide a very effective sounding board for my ideas, and offer suggestions for further thought and consideration. They are sort of like the GPS in your car. They don’t drive the car but, as you travel through the territory, they provide valuable guidance in getting you to your destination. Hopefully, I’ll be able to reduce the ‘recalculating.’” To learn more about Software Masters, visit SoftwareMasters.com.
• Contractor Yard Sale, Andrew Pennington, EKU student from Corbin. The business is an online classifieds service for the buying and selling of surplus and salvage building materials. “Right now the web page (www.contractoryardsale.com) just offers a basic classifieds service for contractors or building materials suppliers to list their items for sale, and consumers can pick them up for a huge discount. I have big dreams for Contractor Yard Sale,” said the 21-year-old Pennington, “not only as a webpage, but as an actual company. Being housed in the CEDET business incubator has really put me next door to a lot of folks who have a priceless set of skills when it comes to entrepreneurship. I can look to them for real, practical advice. Where else, as a business person, can I walk across the hall and talk to a business plan expert, shoot next door and talk with someone about funding, and then meet weekly with all the other staff?”
• CCB Designz, Mackenzie Crump, Jonathan Croley and Dedra Brandenburg, Richmond, owners. Three EKU graduates came together to provide several services: web development, logo design and other graphic work; photography (personal or event) such as weddings, portraits or business; and videography that includes filming, editing and converting photographs into movies. “Being able to talk with and pick the brains of people who have already gone through the start-up process helped us to avoid making some of the beginner mistakes. They also helped us with our LLC papers and to find liability insurance. All three of us would like to see CCB (ccbdesignz.com) turn into a full-time job that pays the bills and then some. We want to grow enough to have employees but also keep up our work with other new and starting businesses.” Croley and Brandenburg are nearing completion of a MBA degree at Eastern.
• Coal Country Beeworks, Dr. Tammy Horn, EKU faculty member. “A diverse economy depends upon a diverse landscape,” Horn noted, “and Coal Country Beeworks (www.eri.eku.edu/honey.php) works with surface mine companies to reclaim sites with pollinator habitat and offers beekeeping workshops to local citizens to teach, to beautify, and to diversify the Appalachian environment. Foret-based beekeeping can be a tiger with five different economic ‘tails’: honey production, wax production, queen production, pollination and extension. My hopes are to be able to work with surface mine companies to create honey corridors that will support a bee industry using Kentucky agricultural networks.” Horn said CEDET “has provided me a quiet place to write and edit my second book, provided the computer technology to finish it, and provided the mentoring to finish procrastinated business proposals and other necessary paperwork associated with starting a commercial business.”
For more information about CEDET services, call 859-622-2334 or visit www.cedet.eku.edu.

Recently, I challenged Estill Countians, through the use of email and social media, to answer a short anonymous survey about different issues facing our community. And before any of you statistics geeks (like me!) question the results because I didn’t satisfactorily choose my sample size or something of the like, I stated up front that this is an UNSCIENTIFIC survey. I just thought it would be fun to get some feedback for Local-Motive and other topics about which we need constant input from the public. For those who took the time to give your input, I appreciate it! The overwhelming response has encouraged me to keep using these sorts of tools to gather data. These results are all based on the 100 responses that I received and some questions were skipped by 1 or more respondents. I would also like to point out that I am merely reporting the results of the survey as I received them. Here are the results:

1. 83% currently live in Estill County.

2. 50% currently work in Estill County.

3. When asked what they feel is the single biggest issue facing Estill County today, 45% said drug abuse, 20% said lack of jobs, 14% said apathy, 9% said poverty, 6% said lack of recreational opportunities, 1% said aging population, and the 5% “other” category was split among a combination of the above (2%), people who oppose growth (1%), crime/stealing (1%), and lack of education/family bias (1%).

4. When asked what they feel is the best focus for economic development in Estill County, 44% said searching for manufacturers to relocate here, 43% said entrepreneurial and small business development, 11% said tourism development, and the 2 “other” responses were alcohol sales and entertainment/recreation development.

5. When asked how much, on average, of their total total income is spent within Estill County, here is the breakdown:
(%of income – %of responses)

0% – 10.1%, 10% – 7.1%, 20% – 10.1%, 30% – 10.1%, 40% – 6.1%, 50% – 17.2%, 60% – 10.1%, 70% – 15.2%, 80% – 9.1%, 90% – 4%, 100% – 1%

6. When asked if they would consider starting their own business in Estill County (and if they already own one, would they consider starting another), 25.3% said yes, 5.1% said yes but don’t know how to get started, 22.2% said yes but now is not the right time, 15.2% said yes but don’t know how to get the money, 29.3% said no, and of the 3 “other” responses, 2 said they have no interest in starting their own business, and 1 said yes if more people were open to growth.

7. When asked what reasons they do not trade with Estill County businesses (could choose more than one answer), 75.8% said what they wanted to buy wasn’t offered, 28.3% said higher prices, 15.2% said the hours don’t suit their schedules, 13.1% said inadequate facilities, 8.1% said poor quality, 4% said poor service, and the “other” responses included: only go out of town for unavailable items (2), get everything here because gas is so high, local businesses open and close when they want, live too far away (3), and always try to go with a local option.

8. Question: If a community-owned business were organized in Estill County, would you be interested in investing? In other words, if a general-store type business were organized for which people in the community bought stock in the business and then all the owners decided on what was sold and how the business was operated, would you want to learn more about that opportunity? Answer: 66% said yes, 24.7% said no, and the “other” replies included: it depends (4), can’t afford to, great idea but would have to be done right, live too far away, would be in favor of a food co-op, sounds like the rich folks trying to take over again.

9. Question: If volunteer opportunities in Estill County were better organized and publicly posted, with complete job descriptions and time commitments available, would you be more likely to volunteer for community organizations? Answer: Yes – 83.5%, No – 5.2%, Other – 11.3%: not enough time/live too far away (9), depends on the opportunities available, maybe.

10. Question: What type(s) of business(es) do you feel would thrive in Estill County if opened here and why would it (they) succeed?

Answers:

I have always thought a KFC would thrive in EC but I have no facts to back this thought.

alcohol sales, both pkg and restaurant, recreation attractions, large flea market

Children’s clothing store!

The principle businesses I visit outside the county are, for the most part, specialty shoppes located in larger markets. However, Lowe’s and larger retail outlets such as Wal-Mart definitely pull money away due to selection and prices that are simply unattainable in a smaller market.

coffee shop, fine dining with real chef and no buffets, indoor gun range, well equiped boat dock with amenities and accessibility. dude ranch type experience, liquor store, craft coop with working artisans,

a nice clothing store for ladies–there is nothing here anymore

Department Store would succeed because there are absolutely none here in this county.

Dry Cleaner that stays open the hours customers need. A smaller version of Wal-Mart or some kinda department store. A grocery store that offers value and variety

walmart, or other department store besides a dollar store. its a shame u have to go to richmond to buy things that the dollar store and grocery stores dont carry

Something for our kids could do for fun like a skateing rank, or anything. The old Save-a-Lot building is just sitting there it is a shame we dont have something for them to do.

car part businesses, mechanics

a general type store where you could purchase most anything in one location

Anything for youth…skating rink….paint ball…laser tag…etc.

Not sure.

walmart grocery stores steak houses

Something for entertainment uses…..movie theatre, skating rink, bowling ally, ect. Something for everyone in the community to take part in not just the young or the old.

If tourism and recreational is developed and the Kentucky River utilized, then gift shops, and such like would do very well. Antiques stores are a source for drawing out of town people into our community.

Little Caesars… Cheaper pizza

Technology related businesses

A good restaurant!!!

Anything to do with farm and animal supplies.With fuel so high,it would be less costly to beable to get supplies here.

A YMCA

walmart, more places to eat, because people are going out of town to walmart and counties around us will come to irvine to shop!

Wal-Mart

something for our kids to do….they have nothing to do except balllgames…they need a movie or something…

A major chain such as wal-mart, meijer, etc., would thrive in this small community

Department store Everybody goes to Richmond/Lexington to shop at them

Family recreation. It is a void needing to be filled, a roller rink, bowling alley, arcade multi-plex would be great!

I would like to see a womens/girls clothing store. If we want to buy clothes we have to go out of town.

WAL-MART Everyone goes there.

A department store with affordable but good quality clothing.

Manufacturing (large pool of employees, EC is close to I75 and I64) Craft store (lots of people in the community like these types of stores) Theater, rollerskating rink, youth oriented businesses (not much for kids to do in EC)

A Dry Cleaners… If they would stay open. I also think a theatre could have some potential.

Creative Industries

Dry Cleaners because the one we have is never open and takes too long to get your stuff. Cab service would do well. Has done well in past and several older people could use to pay bills and grocery shop.

Something for young people. A movie theatre, a supervised youth/family center ie bowling. There is absolutely nothing for families to do here for entertainment. In the past when someone would start something of this nature they would not properly supervise and therefore drugs and loiterers would take over too the point that parents would not allow their children to go to these places.

Recreational

Restaraunts that offer a greater variety–coffee house, cafe type place where young folks can hang out, perform music, read poetry, display art. Not a safe place for kids to hang out and do cool stuff, right now, but we need one.

skateboard shop i’ve seen alot of kids on there boards so i think something like that would do good,or a place like Catos where there are dresses and skirts for women to buy because there are alot of churches and thats the only place to buy things like that.

Movie theater

Bowling Alley, Swimming Pool, Movie Theater

We need more merchants! We need bigger selections and lower prices. ANYTHING that brings jobs!

We need more Hair Salons… Car Washes… Gas Stations. jk jk LOL I think a sporting goods store might do well in Estill. A lot of kids are involved in some kind of sport and end up traveling to Lex. or Richmond for their required gear.

(a) A small trade school for young adults and non-traditional students (b) bring-and-buy types of businesses such as organized, low-overhead farmers markets where locals could sell produce, antiques and art possibly drawing in outside dollars as well (c) a seasonal drive-in movie theater could do very well in the county with lower start-up costs than a traditional theater (d) livestock and/or farm equipment auctions (e) elder care [medical or non-medical] (f) Aldi’s grocery chain [www.aldifoods.com] (g) organized, advertised tourism [i.e. what could be the next big idea like the Mushroom Festival]

antique shops, “country” stores, craft suppply shops

A theater, bowling alley, or roller rink would do well here, because there isn’t a thing for a our kids to do in this county. I believe it is putting our children at a higher risk to experiment with drugs, and alcohol.

Kroger, WalMart

I believe if we opened up our trails, we could have one heck of a resort. That would open us up for supplies & gear to be sold. I also think we need to target more of the teenagers. We need to find out what they like.

Something for the kids

Tourism, B&B’s (There’s few options to stay in Estill), Cabins, Riding, kayaking, trails, adventure tourism. Things to take advantage of being an alternate route to The Red River Gorge from Lexington/Madison.

Clothing stores for women and childen. They should succeed because we are limited in this area as long as they had reasonable prices and quality merchandise.

More clothing options

locally-owned department store with clothing

Manufacturing companies, low property cost, good work force. So many people living here have to work somewhere else

Drive in theater-appeals to everyone. Bowling or skating rink – youth need to expend energy plus being contained in a building will make watching them much easier. A REAL park containing lots of activities- this will encourage more activity physically and avoid time to over eat and use drugs. A 4-wheeling park. Lots of people like to take their trucks, jeeps, and 4wheelers off road.

new ladies clothes, barbecue/steakhouse, drive-in movie theater

Office Supplies…. there is no place to buy any of this. Antique Stores…. to get people to visit Estill County

A movie theater or bowling alley… there is nothing for the youth to do close to home i think it would help the community a lot…..

Manufacturing/Industrial. Lower tax incentives along with a high percentage of Estill’s population that meet their target employees would become attractive to producers.

Gym — with pool/activities for kids in addition to health fitness equipment for adults, coffee shop — like starbucks, ice cream shop down town — Graters, a place for stay at home moms to bring kids for activities (like Gymboree)

Without alcohol sales, not many.

We need different types of businesses instead of everyone copying everyone else. When someone does open a business here…three or four open the same thing and it just hurts all of them. Estill County needs to be more creative and try to help the honest businesses that are already here.

DQ

Boat Dock & Store/food on our river A privately owned scenic railway Four wheeling trails Hiking trail or climbing or caving like at Red River Gorge

women’s clothing store, book store, coffee shop

Clothing,entertainment (books, movies, games), and activities (theater, physical pasttimes, etc). Because no such services currents exists.

Restaurant because most local restaurants have succeeded in the past.

A coffee shop that would give teens a place to hang out. More interesting restaurants like Papaleno’s in Berea.

Recreational places for children, other than the park there aren’t any other places in town to take children.

—Business Classes Being Offered in Stanton, KY— Sign up today, seats are limited! Classes are open to residents of Powell, Estill, and Lee Counties COURSES: * Accounting Fundamentals – Learn the basics of business finance, including budgets, profit and loss statements, understanding cash flow and more. Dates: Mar. 17 – Apr. 21 Cost: $15 *Customer Service and Marketing – Learn customer service, sales, marketing, and advertising a small business. Dates: May 12 – Jun. 9  Cost: $15 REGISTER FOR ALL THREE 6-WEEK CLASSES AT A DISCOUNTED COST OF $30 Classes will meet once a week on Thursday evenings from 6pm-8pm and a catered meal will be provided by Hood’s Country Cookin’, Stanton, KY for each class. Call 606-663-5565 or email classes@thekea.org to reserve your seat. Sponsored by The Kentucky Entrepreneurs Alliance with a grant from ARC Flex-E-Grant Program Visit us on the web at www.thekea.org

Check out the two videos below of two of our Estill County businesses who were finalists for the 2010 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards!