On April 5, 2022, approximately 30 people from several SEK communities gathered at Fab Lab ICC in Independence to provide input about barriers to and ideas on enhancing entrepreneurship and small business growth in the Southeast Kansas region. Three representatives from the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita facilitated the session, took notes, and will combine notes from twenty other similar listening events in the four states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska.
FAB LAB ICC was selected as one of six locations across Kansas to host a listening session co-sponsored by the Kansas Leadership Center and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The session began at 5:30 and lasted about 90 minutes.
This local session was part of the 'Heartland Together' Partnership Multi-State Listening Tour and is an effort to address the systemic challenges that make it hard to start and grow local businesses in rural communities. The sessions took place over a two-week period with stops in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.
The tour marks the opening phase of 'Heartland Together,’ a partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (EMKF) to grow and strengthen support for entrepreneurs in these four Midwestern states.
From March 21 to April 5, KLC facilitators conducted listening sessions in more than 20 communities to elevate the conversation of healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems and build local civic engagement capacity.
“We recognize the value of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking and know that small businesses are the livelihood of our rural communities,” said Dr. Vincent Bowhay, ICC President. “ICC is proud to partner with the Kansas Leadership Center and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support future business leaders looking to enhance their business operations.”
“Since opening our Fab Lab in 2014 and through our Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we’ve been working to build and nurture an entrepreneurial ecosystem for our rural region,” said Fab Lab ICC Director Jim Correll. “The Kauffman Foundation has been a key partner in our efforts through grant funding and resources to support our facility and its programming. Our objectives are keenly aligned in terms of helping entrepreneurs and small businesses launch and thrive.”
"At the Kansas Leadership Center, we believe that anyone can exercise leadership at any time. We know that leadership at scale is required to create the conditions necessary for a thriving local business community," said Dennis Clary, director of custom civic engagement at KLC. "Thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, we are excited to step out on this listening tour to foster leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous Heartland communities.”
Heartland Together listening tour sessions took place in the following cities, towns and communities:
• Nebraska: Sidney, Ogallala, McCook, Norfolk, Holt County/O’Neill, Grand Island
• Kansas: Liberal, Cowley County, Hutchinson, Dodge City, Liberal, Independence
• Missouri: Carthage, West Plains, Joplin, Maryville, Kirksville
• Iowa: Belmond, Iowa Falls, Marshalltown, Marion County
"Stronger communities depend on new and diverse ventures, what we traditionally refer to as entrepreneurship. We further know the success of entrepreneurs depends on the environment that supports them— their ecosystem. We are eager to learn more about the challenge of ecosystem building to inform how we can help more people and communities achieve economic prosperity in the heartland region," said Lucy Petroucheva, civic engagement manager at KLC.