Veel Hoeden Wins a Sweet New Office!

Turnstone, a Steelcase brand, is proud to announce that Pella’s Veel Hoeden, a co-working space and small business incubator, is one of the five companies to beat more than 150 small businesses nationwide and win the “Win a Sweet New Office!” contest. In addition to the $25K office makeover, Turnstone will host a block party on Wednesday, May 23 noon to 2:30 p.m. to celebrate the award.

Link: http://www.towncriernews.com/pages/news/veelhoe052212.html

Veel Hoeden wins $25K office makeover in national contest | Des Moines Register Staff Blogs

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A Pella-based co-working space outlasted more than 150 small businesses nationwide and will receive a $25,000 office makeover, according to officials representing the company sponsoring the contest.

Link: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/05/23/veel-hoeden-wins-25k-office-makeover-in-national-contest/

Mark Your Calendar USDA Roundtable April 23

Attached please find a media advisory regarding a public USDA roundtable meeting in Knoxville at the Marion County Extension offices on Monday, April 23 starting at 8:30 a.m.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about USDA programs and to provide input to their programs.  Community leaders, businesses and citizens are encouraged to attend. 

Please forward or post this information so others can learn about this great opportunity.

Cordially,

Carla Eysink, IOM

Executive Director

Marion County Development Commission

Courthouse, 214 East Main Street, Knoxville, IA 50138

641.828.2257

www.redrockarea.com

Click here to download:
USDA Roundtable April 23.docx (27 KB)
(download)

Click here to download:
USDA Roundtable April 23.pdf (19 KB)
(download)

State Small Business Credit Initiative - IEDA Funds

Dear Iowa Economic Development Partners:

The U.S. Department of the Treasury moved to support business lending in Iowa when it announced, in 2011, that the state would receive $13.2 million under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a component of President Obama’s Small Business Jobs Act.   Iowa's planned use of the SSBCI funds will help create new private sector jobs and spur more than $132 million in additional small-businesses lending in the state.   The Iowa Economic Development Authority will use these funds to support the:

·         Iowa Capital Access Program (ICAP): The Iowa Business Growth Company will administer the Capital Access Program and will target its outreach specifically to rural communities throughout the state. ICAP assists Iowa businesses secure the financing they need to launch, retain, or expand business operations in Iowa.  For more information contact  Steve Cruse, Vice-President, Iowa Business Growth Company at 515.223.4511 ext. #103 or  Steve@iowabusinessgrowth.com

·         Iowa Small Business Loan Support Program:  The Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise and Community Vitality (IFMCV) will administer the Iowa Small Business Loan Support program and will use the funding to provide participation loans in conjunction with private financing to support small businesses.  For more information contact Jason Yates, Iowa MicroLoan at 515.401.8290 or jyates@iowamicroloan.org.

·         Iowa Innovation Acceleration Fund (IIA Fund): The IEDA will administer this program. The IIA Fund promotes the formation and growth of businesses that engage in the transfer of technology into competitive, profitable companies that create high paying jobs. The funds are designed to support commercializing research, launching new start-ups and accelerating private investment and industrial expansion efforts that result in significant capital investment.  The fund provides financing to eligible businesses through three program components that correspond to three different stages of growth for investment-grade, high-growth enterprises:

(1) Iowa LAUNCH for pre-seed capital stage financing

(2) Iowa PROPEL for seed capital stage financing

(3) Iowa INNOVATION EXPANSION for expansion-stage financing

$5 million was allocated to the IIA fund for the next two calendar years.  Each one dollar ($1) of requested funds from the IIA Fund must be matched by a minimum of one dollar ($1) of private funds.  The application process will follow the same steps and timeline as the Demonstration Fund program.   The Technology Commercialization Committee will review the applications and make funding recommendations to the IEDA Board.  Companies that received Demonstration Fund awards are eligible for this program. 

We have scheduled a conference call for Monday, February 13, 2012 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for you to call in for more information and to ask questions about the IIA Fund.  The call-in numbers are:

Call In: 1- 866-685-1580              Conference Code: 5152424731

Attached is a copy of the IIA Fund application, the application process and information on the program components.  More information is available on the web site at   http://iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/business/ssbci_innovaccel.aspx

We are excited to have these programs available to Iowa entrepreneurs and companies.  If you plan to participate in the conference call, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Gail Kotval

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IOWA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

200 East Grand Avenue   |   Des Moines, Iowa  50309

PH: 515.725.3192  |   gail.kotval@iowa.gov

iowaeconomicdevelopment.com

Click here to download:
Innovation Acceleration App final.docx (94 KB)
(download)

Click here to download:
IA Fund application process.docx (13 KB)
(download)

Click here to download:
SSBCI matrix v2.pdf (60 KB)
(download)

Win $10,000 | Raise Cash | Start-Up Cedar Valley | BarCamp | EntreFest!

 

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Maureen's Corner
 

Prometheus Awards by Maureen Collins-Williams
Imagine auto parts suppliers like NAPA and Advanced Auto combining their inventory into a massive online 'cloud'. Imagine living in a town of 500 and having live video feeds to your Doc in Des Moines 24 hours a day. How about an alternative to credit cards created in Iowa? All these and dozens more innovations make up the annual Prometheus Awards.

Read Full Entry >>

Resources

Logo2011 was incredibly successful as our first year of offering regional Dream Big Grow Here contests across Iowa. Our winners from 2011's contest and preparing to now pitch for a $10,000 follow on investment at EntreFest in early March. Due to the response and interest from our sponsors and entrants from 2011, we've decided to bring things back for 2012. In the coming months we will be announcing the dates and regions for this year. Please stay tuned to DreamBigGrowHere.comfor information on the specific regions and dates. We'll also be announcing them in this newsletter as things formalize.
 

Ideas for Success

Virtual & Online Home-Based Business Opportunities by Rob Williams
Here are some real and legal ways to make money online, from your home, or just in your spare time!

You Will Never Make Enough Money
Yes, you read that right. I'm here to break the bad news to you. But you need to know the truth: You won't ever make enough money. Especially if you think it is a means to an end. Trying to make more money is the trap of entrepreneurship...

Cool Stuff

Raise Cash on Crowdfunding Sites
Need start-up capital - and fast? You may want to try crowdfunding, a money-raising strategy that's become increasingly popular in recent years.

Link-O-Rama by Dan Beenken Dan

  • If you are looking for cash to start your business and getting sick of hearing “no” from Uncle Larry, the bank, your mom, and everyone else you have tried – give the clouds a go – seems to be working for others.
  • I love these articles sharing tips on how to get your business off the ground while you get a paycheck from someone else.
  • Quick advice on why a business plan is still necessary, even if you aren’t going after 3rd party financing. I wouldn’t say it needs to be a novel by any means, by a couple pages to keep you on track is going to be well worth it down the road.
  • barCamp is coming to the Cedar Valley in a couple weeks – www.barcampcv.com - I strongly encourage you to come- Feb 4th. Seth Godin does a great job of explaining what its all about, via the TED imperatives
  • Here is a little motivation for all of you entrepreneurs-in-waiting
  • This is a great piece on the crowdfunding revolution, where things are at in the U.S., and why it makes sense to give it a look – mostly from a marketing/pr point of view.