Network with Regional Entrepreneurs

Are you well on your way to establishing a business? Or perhaps you simply have an idea you’d like to pursue further. If your heart is set on chasing the American Dream your best networking opportunity may be the next Blackhawk Hills Entrepreneur and Inventor’s Club meeting.

“Our purpose is to bring entrepreneurs together to share their ideas, problems and startup challenges with each other as well as potential advisors, mentors, and support agencies” said Steve Haring, Director of the Blackhawk Hills Economic Development District and key organizer of the club. “We present a non-threatening environment featuring a network of people with experience and expertise that can help take your dream to reality.”

The Blackhawk Hills Entrepreneur and Inventor’s Club was formed in response to a 2004-2005 Northwest Illinois Economic Distress Study indicating the region needed to enhance its entrepreneurial culture. The first meeting, held during November, 2005, was modeled after the large and successful 300 member Juneau County, Wisconsin club. The local group has grown to 75 members, and sponsors now include the Northwest Region Entrepreneurship Center, the Rock River Valley Entrepreneurship Center, and the Northwest Illinois Small Business Development Center, in addition to the Blackhawk Hills Economic District.

E & I Club meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at either Highland or Sauk Valley Community College. The format includes a power networking session, a speaker, and an opportunity for each participant to introduce themselves and highlight their idea, product or service, and any needed support or expertise. After the formal agenda participants are encouraged to take advantage of refreshments and mingle.

With an average of over 50 participants, each meeting offers a very active networking environment. “The meetings are high-energy and very productive”, said Michele Miller, Director of the Northwest IL Small Business Development Center Director. “We help coordinate and attend all of them because it gives us a chance to offer our services directly to those who are aspiring to be successful.”

Greg Longbons of Lake Carroll, founder of Coffee Bean Design, has attended all but one of the local meetings. He credits the E & I experience for helping his business mature. “It’s such a great place to bring can-do people together to share ideas and to give each other support. These folks are adventurers and trail blazers in the truest sense of the word.”

The next Entrepreneur and Inventor’s Club meeting is scheduled for 6pm on Thursday, June 22 at the Highland Community College Student Conference Center, Room H-201. The speaker will be Terry Whipple, Economic Development Director for Juneau County Wisconsin and founder of the very large Juneau County E & I Club. Terry will share his Juneau club experiences and provide tips for enhancing local club activity and involvement. All entrepreneurs are welcome to attend. For more information about this meeting or the Blackhawk Hills E & I Club contact Russ Simpson at the Highland SBDC office, (815) 599-3654, or visit www.businessblender.org