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Office of Private Sector Initiatives '~ ~¥'",~.~.~'~;~.'%
<br />U S Small Business Administration May 1985 '~-:~-~-/~:~':'~
<br />Incubator
<br />
<br />, Times
<br /> Small business incubators, developed in
<br />
<br />response to the needs of sagging urban
<br />economies and neighborhoods, are finding
<br />their way into rural development strategies.
<br />They are fast becoming an integral part of
<br />the changing rural landscape, where jobs
<br />and economic growth are essential.
<br />
<br />Incubators are not a development tech-
<br />nology simply transferred from a depressed
<br />urban area to a rural one. The traditional
<br />incubator, with its shared space, shared
<br />services and below market rents, is being
<br />reshaped to fit the rural setting. Incubators
<br />are being "homegrown" in rural areas, and
<br />are showing signs of being among the most
<br />innovative projects in the country.
<br />
<br />This Special Rural Edition of the Incubator
<br />Times is devoted to rural incubator ini-
<br />tiatives around the country. It will highlight
<br />sampling of small towns that have taken
<br />incubator concept and successfully trans-
<br />planted it to their communities.
<br />
<br />This issue addresses both the problems
<br />and prospects for incubator development
<br />rui~al areas, with the aim of improving and
<br />sharing the store of knowledge and experi-
<br />ence of a variety of incubator projects
<br />around the country.
<br />
<br />We are grateful to the U.S. Department of
<br />Agriculture, Office of Rural Development
<br />Policy, the National Trust for Historic Prese.'--
<br />vation Main Street Center, and the Ap-
<br />palachian Regional Commission for co-
<br />sponsoring this special issue.
<br />
<br />Office of Private Sector Initiative~ -~?::~
<br />Samantha Silva
<br />
<br />SBA Slates Additional Incubator Conferences
<br />
<br />Charleston, South Carolina, Kansas City,
<br />Missouri and Spokane, Washington will
<br />each host a Small Business Incubator Con-
<br />ference, to wrap up the series sponsored
<br />by the Small Business Administration's Of-
<br />fice of Private Sector Initiatives.
<br />
<br />The Charleston conference, scheduled May
<br />28-30, 1985 at the Sheraton Charleston, will
<br />locus on the development Of small business
<br />incubators in diverse settings, including
<br />rural, downtown, and small city economies.
<br />With more than 50 public and private co-
<br />sponsors, the conference will include a tour
<br />of the Charleston Business & Technology
<br />Center, and a trade fair that will feature re-
<br />sources for small business incubators.
<br />
<br />In Kansas City, June 6-8, 1985 at the Hilton
<br />Plaza Inn, the conference will emphasize
<br />the potential for incubators in rural and out-
<br />lying suburban areas, in addition to oppor-
<br />tunities for high-technology development
<br />through incubators. The conference will
<br />also look at the potential lot international
<br />trade opportunities through incubators and
<br />will include a Congressional panel to ex-
<br />plore incubator issues, featuring Con-
<br />gresswoman Jan Meyers (Kansas) and
<br />Congressman ike Skelton (Missouri).
<br />
<br />The Spokane conference, scheduled June
<br />26-28, 1985 at the Ridpath Hotel, will high-
<br />light incubator initiatives appropriate to a
<br />Western setting, including rural, small town
<br />and urban economies. The conference,
<br />which will feature a tour of the Spokane
<br />cubation Center and a "Wines of the North-
<br />west" winetasting, will welcome a slate of
<br />national and regional incubator practi-
<br />tioners. Stephen Hall, SBA's Regional Ad-
<br />ministrator in Seattle, noted that,
<br />"Incubators are a welcome departure from
<br />traditional 'smokestack chasing: The
<br />unique projects taking root in the Northwe~
<br />are a result of business and civic leaders
<br />joining forces to achieve their vision for job
<br />creation and business development;'
<br />
<br />For more information on the conferences,
<br />contact the Office of Private Sector Ini-
<br />tiatives, (202) 653-7880.
<br />
<br /> Conference Calendar
<br />Charleston, SC ........ May 28-30, 198.=
<br />Kansas City, MO ........ June 6-8, 1985
<br />Spokane, WA ........ June 26-28, 1985
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