Southeast Community College’s Entrepreneurship Center has won an award in the 2010 Exemplary Initiatives Competition, sponsored by the National Council of Instructional Administrators, headquartered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  SCC’s Entrepreneurship Center won the Community and Workforce Needs category with its “Educating, Enhancing and Empowering Entrepreneurs: Igniting the Entrepreneurial Spirit” entry.

The Center serves as a resource for anyone needing entrepreneurial help, including entrepreneurship education, coaching and mentoring and incubation. Its mission is “to discover and develop the talents of individuals in order to enhance business and community through the creation and development of academic, research, outreach, and support initiatives that encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship and support entrepreneurs of all ages.”

The Center’s entry into the competition focused on various strengths, including partnerships, education and training, its rapid response time, its joint-use facility, and community engagement. Nearing its five-year anniversary, the Center has helped to create more than 50 jobs and launch 38 successful new ventures. Center employees have met with and coached more than 500 businesses.

The Center’s Business Incubator provides a place for a business to grow and adapt before moving out into the community. Three businesses have “graduated” from the Incubator, and seven more will graduate during the next six months. The Incubator has helped 24 businesses start down the path to success, creating more than 30 jobs. The economic impact of businesses that leave the program will be tracked for up to five years.

For more information about Southeast Community College’s Entrepreneurship Center, contact Stu Osterthun at 323-3401 or visit the center here http://www.southeast.edu/discover/entrepreneur.asp.