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.
