PARTNERSHIP CONNECTS LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS WITH
OSU
BUSINESS STUDENTS
OSU–Cascades
Campus and Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) have
partnered to develop an innovative new program connecting
business students at Oregon State University’s Cascade
Campus with local entrepreneurs. The program will provide
students with hands-on business experience and offer Central
Oregon entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop well-defined
business plans for their ventures.
Taught
by adjunct instructor Pam Stevenson, BA460: New Venture
Management, is a senior-level course in entrepreneurship in
which students write business plans for start-up ventures. While Stevenson
encourages students to examine their own passions and interests
in selecting an opportunity to pursue, they may not feel ready
yet to follow an entrepreneurial path. In such cases, rather
than writing a theoretical business plan, students may gain
more relevant experience by writing a plan for a real-world
start-up.
Furthermore,
many entrepreneurs possess the expertise and creativity needed
to develop a new product or service but lack the skill or
training to write a good business plan. In this program,
students and local entrepreneurs are given an opportunity to be
“matched” to help both achieve their goals.
EDCO
will be compiling a list of interested entrepreneurs which will
be presented to the students at the beginning of the Spring
Quarter (starting March 28, 2005). Criteria for interested
businesses include:
q
A
start-up business less than 1 year old;
q
Completion
of a brief application form submitted to EDCO; and
q
A
signed agreement if the project is selected (the agreement will
address sharing of information, confidentiality, and
expectations of contributions by the parties involved).
If a
business is selected, the students will contact the
entrepreneur to arrange a meeting to define the project and
outline expectations. While students will receive periodic
access to the entrepreneur throughout the quarter to understand
the business, the student will be wholly responsible for
writing the plan. Written business plans and an oral
presentation will be submitted for a grade at the conclusion of
the quarter (approximately June 9, 2005). A copy of the plan
will be provided to the entrepreneur and the entrepreneur will
be invited to attend the final class presentation.
EDCO
will also assemble a review panel from the local business
community to attend the final presentation. This panel will
select one winning plan for presentation at the final Central
Oregon PubTalk of the season (June 9, 2005). Held on the second
Thursday of each month at McMenamin’s in downtown Bend,
the popular Central Oregon PubTalks feature a keynote speaker,
as well as presentations by early stage companies seeking
capital, advice, and feedback on their business plans. Keynote
speakers are business leaders from around the region and state
who share innovative business concepts, best practices and
"lessons learned.”
Entrepreneurs
interested in participating should fill out the application
available at EDCO (20380 Halfway Road, Suite C in Bend) or by
clicking here. Applications should be returned to
Jennifer Houston, Business Development Manager at EDCO no later
than March 25th, 2005: Fax 541-388-6705 or email Jennifer@edforco.org. There
will be no guarantee that a particular project will be
selected. For questions regarding the details of the program,
please contact Pam Stevenson at pamstevenson@bendcable.com.
Economic
Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is a membership-based,
private, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a strong
and secure economic future for Central Oregon. Learn more about
EDCO at www.edforco.org.
