Kentucky Businesses to Share Secrets of Success
Wednesday January 02, 2002
This winter, local residents have a chance to learn how to start a successful business in Eastern Kentucky—from successful home-grown entrepreneurs like University of Kentucky President Lee Todd.
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation will present Kentucky Entrepreneur on Monday evenings, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., starting Jan. 21 and running until Feb. 18. The five free presentations are aimed at sparking the entrepreneurial spirit by letting the audience interact with and learn from proven, successful business owners. KHIC’s partner, The Center for Rural Development, will host the seminar and broadcast it to 10 other locations in Eastern Kentucky.
The reason behind the seminar is simple, said KHIC President Jerry Rickett.
“We want Eastern Kentuckians to know that businesses can start, grow and flourish—even in Eastern Kentucky,” Rickett said. “And we’ve got the success stories to prove it.”
Kentucky Entrepreneur is the 2002 version of KHIC’s popular Tuesday Evenings with an Entrepreneur seminar. In response to feedback from last year’s audience, the speakers at this year’s seminar come mostly from a small business background.
In cooperation with KHIC, the business schools at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Louisville developed educational content for the program. The seminar will be free to all participants thanks to a HUD EDI Special Project grant.
Columnist Byron Crawford of The Courier-Journal will serve as host and moderator for the seminar. Crawford, a Stanford native, was the host of KET’s popular television program “Kentucky Life.”
Aspiring entrepreneurs can call The Center for Rural Development at 1-888-248-9438 to register to attend the seminar at any site. Videoconferencing equipment allows attendees at any broadcast site to ask the speakers questions.
Speakers will include Dr. Lee Todd, who recently was named president of the University of Kentucky. Todd’s company, DataBeam, pioneered, patented and marketed worldwide, multi-site, real-time “white board conferencing” software. The company also makes flight simulator products. IBM-Lotus purchased DataBeam in the late 1990s.
If some entrepreneurs are ready to take the next step after the seminar, Phil Danhauer of the One Stop Capital Shop will provide a seminar on how to prepare a business plan.
“I hope this inspires some Eastern Kentuckians,” Rickett said. “It is within their grasp to be employers, not just employees.”
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation has helped create more than 8,000 jobs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky including Bell, Clay, Clinton, Harlan, Jackson, McCreary, Rockcastle, Wayne and Whitley counties.