Emporia Main Street and Emporia State University are partners in a new economic development venture.
The Forging Opportunities for Research, Growth and Entrepreneurship, or FORGE, grant is supported by the Kansas Department of Commerce — in Emporia’s case, with a $375,000 grant augmented by a dollar-for-dollar match from ESU. University Executive Vice President of Operations and Economic Infrastructure Cory Falldine, a guest on KVOE’s ESU Buzz on Thursday, says this is designed to bridge gaps between education and business while boosting economic activity.
This is a three-year project designed to do several things:
*Increase access to technology for businesses and entrepreneurs
*Develop partnerships so local and regional businesses can find opportunities that otherwise may not be feasible, especially for smaller businesses
*Using Emporia State to develop skill sets suitable for starting, expanding or recruiting new businesses to the area
Another Buzz guest, Main Street Director Casey Woods, says this will be big for entrepreneurs. It’s also big for ESU.
The FORGE program comes at a time where several local businesses or regional and national businesses with local connections have either announced their upcoming closures or have closed outright. Mayor Erren Harter says this is the latest effort to diversify the local economy and benefit both the community and the area.
Now that the partnership has been announced, ESU and Emporia Main Street have several tasks ahead:
*A “one-stop shop” for regional entrepreneurship with team resources setting up a “grow-our-own” strategy enhancing economic diversity, regional job growth and household incomes
*Increasing support for local entrepreneurs through business incubation, microgrants, education activities and “reverse pitch” events
*Monetizing local experiences and regional entrepreneur knowledge to develop business opportunities
*Developing a cooperative approach to funnel resources to entrepreneurial development
*More connections for local and area entrepreneurs to business development services across Kansas
*Adding new equipment to the Main Street Fabrication Lab — a move also funded by Main Street’s involvement in the K-State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative.
KVOE broke the information during Thursday’s ESU Buzz. Click here for the full interview.
