Entrepreneur Development Center Launch slated

The Entrepreneur Development Center (EDC) will host its launch event on Tuesday, October 23, at the Aeneas Building in downtown Jackson, Tenn.  The launch event, scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., will feature Matt Kisber, President and CEO of Silicon Ranch Corporation; and, successful entrepreneur, Carl Kirkland, co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Kirklands.

 “Much of the growth in our economy in recent years has been in the small business sector, as a result of entrepreneurship.  The launch of this center today will help foster the continued growth and development of small businesses,” said Kisber, who is also the former Commissioner of the Tennessee Economic Development Commission.

The Entrepreneur Development Center will help budding entrepreneurs in Jackson and the Southwest Tennessee, including Haywood County, area develop their businesses from idea generation to business launch.  The EDC will pair entrepreneurs with successful business leaders who will serve as their mentors during their time in the center.

 “Through entrepreneurship, I've lived the American Dream," said Carl Kirkland.  "The beauty of this country is that you can start with little more than a dream and build a successful business that provides jobs and economic growth.”

The EDC is a part of Governor Haslam’s Startup Tennessee Initiative designed to spur job creation and economic growth and to make Tennessee the number one place for high-growth and high-knowledge businesses. 

According to Dr. Linda Garrard, Executive Director of the EDC, “Our new center strives to be the “front door" for entrepreneurs in Southwest Tennessee. We will help our entrepreneurs build their businesses by connecting them to the critical resources they need to be successful. These critical resources include experienced mentors, knowledge, training, seed capital and a supportive community.”

The launch event will showcase the talents of local entrepreneurs like, Marci Harris.  Marci began public service as “Tornado Recovery Coordinator”, charged with managing the rebuilding of Jackson following a devastating tornado in 2003. After earning a law degree, and working in public service, Marci Harris left a career on Capitol Hill in February 2010, to build POPVOX, a neutral, nonpartisan platform for civic engagement and legislative information.

Launched in January 2011, POPVOX has delivered over 500,000 messages to Congress from users in every Congressional district. In 2011, POPVOX won the SxSW BizSpark Accelerator startup competition. Harris is a recipient of a 2012 Tribeca Film Festival Disruptive Innovation Award and was named #13 of the “Top 100 Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company magazine.

For additional information on the Entrepreneur Development Center (ECD), email, info@startupedc.com.  Seating is limited for the launch event; please call (731) 554-5555 to reserve your seat. Sponsors for this event include: Aeneas Internet and Telephone, West Tennessee Healthcare, University of Memphis, Freed-Hardeman University, Premier Place Catering. This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee.