News

New System for Developing Entrepreneurs Uses Major League Baseball–Derived Approach
A creative new approach to enterprise development—the Entrepreneurial League System (ELS)—borrows from the Major League Baseball system of identifying and developing talent. The system classifies entrepreneurs according to their skills and helps communities organize their service providers to best serve entrepreneurs at different stages of development. West Virginia is undertaking the first regional approach implementing all elements of ELS. More information on ELS and West Virginia's plan for its use is available in the article "Major League Baseball Concept Will Help West Virginia's Entrepreneurs Score Big" on the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Web site.
Download the article (PDF). (Requires Adobe Reader®.)

Learn How to Expand Opportunities for Developing Rural Tourism
A team of international experts worked with residents of the Hudson River Valley to explore ideas that balance economic development needs and the protection of the region's cultural and natural resources. The results of the collaboration are detailed in the "Agri-Tourism Exchange" report and provide many ideas for Appalachian communities about rural tourism, product development, and marketing a rural region. The Glynwood Center sponsored the effort. See the center's Web site for more information.

Jubilee Project Challenges the Digital Divide in Tennessee
The Jubilee Project, a faith-based institution in Sneedville, Tennessee, has begun a Tele-Guild Project, funded by Technology Opportunities Program (TOP). The project is intended to increase the success of small start-up businesses that produce specialty foods in remote, impoverished counties of east Tennessee.

The project will provide businesses with state-of-the-art laptop computers and create a collaborative online system that will include calendars and production schedules, order fulfillment, inventory and financial spreadsheets, and digital communication tools. In addition, the project will develop an e-commerce strategy for the Appalachian Spring Cooperatives' Web site, with shopping cart and credit card capability.

CD-Rom and Web-based entrepreneurial training and business planning assistance will be provided. And participants will be encouraged to email questions and business plans for critique by a network of experienced business people who will serve as mentors. Widely used office software and affordable Web-based resources will be used to make the project easier to use, easier to replicate, and more financially sustainable.

For more information, contact Steve Hodges, executive director, at (423) 733-4195 or steveh@overhome.net.

Promote Agricultural and Food Products in the United States and Abroad
The Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) offers export training, market research, brand promotion programs, promotional trade events, and trade contacts at little to no cost. The association also has a biweekly email newsletter that includes information about their export programs, activities, and events. Sign up for it at their Web site, where you will also find Basics of Exporting, a comprehensive section on reaching international buyers. Appalachian states served by SUSTA are Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Findings Available from Conference on Growing and Financing Rural Entrepreneurs
A summary of the conference "Main Streets of Tomorrow: Growing and Financing Rural Entrepreneurs" is available on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Web site. A third quarter economic review article recaps the views expressed at the fourth annual rural policy conference. Read the summary.

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