Create West Virginia

According to the Kauffman Foundation and other leading experts, a healthy job market is highly correlated with a high level of entrepreneurship in a region. In fact, most net new jobs are created by start-up companies, not larger employers.

There will be an organizational meeting for the West Virginia Made Association on Friday evening, Sept 10, 2010 at Lakeview Resort, Morgantown from 6:30-7:30 following the first day of the WV Made Trade Show. All interested persons are invited to attend. (Lakeview Resort is located a few miles east of Morgantown off Exit 10, I-79)

According to the Kauffman Foundation and other economic think tanks, building a powerful entrepreneurial engine is the only real way to build sustainable long-term job growth. And in this economy, who doesn't want that? 

Create WV's mantra is to "build creative communities for the new economy" in West Virginia. However, it is equally important that our creative communities enjoy the presence of "creative companies."

The fourth pre-conference workshop at Create West Virginia is focused on how to build a business plan with the goal of attracting investors in mind. These investors could be private investors, institutional investors, or even foundation or government grant investors.

What do all these investors have in common? They need: 

It's been well documented that entrepreneurship is the major differentiator between healthy economies and stagnant or declining regions. The question is, what can communities do to spark entrepreneurial growth, especially in regions that have not demonstrated a risk-taking cultural inclination? Can rural communities truly affect their economic destinies? 

September launches the fourth annual WV Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition hosted by the West Virginia University Entrepreneurship Center.

As much as we harp around Create WV about how "quality of place" should be a major economic growth focus for West Virginia, it's extremely exciting to find entrepreneurs and innovators who agree and bring this vision to fruition.

Well, perhaps Frito Lay isn't shaking in its boots yet, but West Virginians do seem to make some mean salsa. Two of the most award-winning salsa suppliers are Maggie's Salsa of Charleston and Blue Smoke Salsa of Ansted. Magdalena De La Cruz Cook-Garcia, founder of Maggie's Salsa, has been honored by the WV chapter of the U.S. Small Business Administration as young entrepreneur of the year for 2009 and will be honored at an event at Tamarack on June 17.