Ivy Tech’s Cook Center for Entrepreneurship receives Duke Energy grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 25, 2013

Ivy Tech’s Cook Center for Entrepreneurship receives Duke Energy grant

The Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington’s campus received a $5,000 grant from Duke Energy that will be used to assist the college in bringing together regional leaders to build a roadmap and action plan for innovation, entrepreneurship, and small business formation.

“The Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship is pleased to have the support of Duke Energy and the Duke Energy Foundation in supporting our Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Road Mapping project,” said Steve Bryant, executive director, Cook Center at Ivy Tech-Bloomington. “This grant provides more resources for our strategic planning efforts to develop recommendations for how to grow entrepreneurship in our region.”

Currently, the region has a wealth of support resources for entrepreneurs such as Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, public libraries, economic development groups, university resources, and government resources, but each of these organizations operates independently and not as a network of support for entrepreneurs.

The Cook Center plans to use the Duke Energy grant to assist with funding this entrepreneurial ecosystem project, a project that that would bring support groups together to create a roadmap of services and resources in the region. Also, this would create ease of navigating between support organizations for entrepreneurs, and facilitate communication between organizations to help each of them better tailor services to the needs of local entrepreneurs.

“Duke Energy is proud to support this important project to foster entrepreneurship in Bloomington, Monroe County and beyond,” said Bruce Calloway, district manager, Duke Energy. “This partnership of many organizations is exactly the kind of collaborative spirit that makes a difference in growing an economy.”

To begin the project, the Cook Center plans to convene with support organizations and entrepreneurs in within the region to gain feedback on the project. The Center will also research other communities and regions that have done similar projects to determine best practices, and finally the Center will present a report with an action plan to develop and distribute the roadmap. The roadmap will be a living document which is publicly available to the entrepreneurial community.

Community partners of the project include the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (provided initial grant of $35,000), Ivy Tech Community College and Ivy Tech Foundation, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, the City of Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development, and Duke Energy.

For more information about Ivy Tech’s Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship log on www.ivytech.edu/entrepreneurship or call 812-330-6261.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy (www.duke-energy.com) Indiana’s operations provide approximately 6,900 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 790,000 customers, making it the state’s largest electric supplier. Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States with more than $110 billion in total assets. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.2 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK.

About Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech Community College (www.ivytech.edu) is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.