Just under 100 people from around the country and few from around the globe are expected to attend a rural entrepreneurship symposium at Iowa State University July 8-11.
The theme of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Rural Entrepreneurship Symposium is focused on innovations in rural retail, manufacturing and tourism.
It is one of four subconferences on the topic of rural entrepreneurship, said Linda Niehm, Iowa State professor in the department of apparel, events and hospitality management, as well as the entrepreneurial leader for the College of Health and Human Sciences and co-chair of the event. The other co-chair is Judi Eyles, director of CyBiz Lab and ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship.
For visitors coming to Iowa and Iowa State, Niehm hopes they look deeply at what Iowa has to offer.
“I hope that they see us as not only an ag state where we have corn and soybeans, but we have so much more to offer,” she said. “And we have so much going on here at Iowa State, I want them to see our programming. If they want to emulate some of the things that we’re doing, wonderful.”
Also, if they are a business and are able to “be more effective in their rural communities, that would certainly be a great outcome,” she said.
Niehm also said she hopes participants see the diversity of Iowa, that “we have innovators in every industry sector.”
“They’re going to get to see a nice cross-section of those industries, and I hope that they leave with an enhanced sense of vision and opportunity, and just being able to say, ‘Well, why not?’”
The symposium is held at different locations around the country. Last year’s event was held in Vermont and next year’s is in Colorado, Niehm said.
Among the activities at the symposium are the presentation of new research – about 30 research papers will be presented on a range of topics including competitive strategies for rural businesses, women entrepreneurs in rural areas, entrepreneurial ecosystems and succession planning for businesses, Niehm said.
There will also be opportunities to teach entrepreneurship. Serial entrepreneur and Iowa native Jeff Stamp, known for inventing Baked Lays for PepsiCo’s snack division Frito-Lay, will lead participants in an entrepreneurial thinking workshop, Niehm said.
The symposium will also represent unique rural industries from around the Midwest, Niehm said, including an ISU graduate from rural Illinois who has a boutique campsite and event center; Clayton Farms, which sells salads with greens the company grows on site in Ames; and ISU alumna Linda Tong and her planner business, among others.
Rural Iowa has gotten traction in some areas, but “in other areas, not so much,” Niehm said. “I think there are pockets where we see tech and ag innovation thriving. But when you look at all the different sectors where entrepreneurship touches us, in rural areas, there’s so much more opportunity for it to be enhanced.”
Some rural areas have more of an agricultural base, others have some manufacturing, she said. Some have tourism elements.
“There’s a lot of diversity among rural markets and communities and just helping them to see how to maximize the opportunities and the resources that they have to help them thrive – I think that’s really where conferences like this can be helpful.”
