Gov. Joe Manchin will be the keynote speaker for the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Initiatives spring stakeholders meeting Wednesday, March 23, at Tamarack in Beckley.

The meetingwhich will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.will focus on the states entrepreneurial development and ways to foster it.

The West Virginia Entrepreneurship Initiative, funded by the Benedum Foundation, is jointly administered by the entrepreneurship centers at WVU and the University of Charleston.

Manchin will speak onViews on Entrepreneurial Developmentat 1 p.m. Other featured speakers include Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and Lee Munnich, director of the State and Local Policy Program at the University of Minnesotas Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

There will be presentations on the West Virginia University Business Plan Competition, the Small Business Technology Education and Competitiveness Initiative and upcoming events related to entrepreneurship.

Three breakout sessions will focus on youth entrepreneurship, creativity in business and the use of technology to succeed.

The conference is co-sponsored by Adena Ventures.

* CONFERENCE AGENDA *

  • 9-9:30 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast
  • 9:30-9:45 a.m. Opening remarksRussell Sobel, WVU Entrepreneurship Center, and Nora Myers, UC Entrepreneurship Center
  • 9:45-10:45 a.m.Knowledge Clusters as a Means of Promoting Regional Economic Development,Lee Munnich, University of Minnesota
  • 10:45-11:15 a.m. General discussion: Knowledge Clusters in West Virginia
  • 11:15-11:30 a.m. Break
  • 11:30 a.m.-Noon Statewide updates WVU Business Plan Competition (Sobel), Small Business Technology Education and Competitiveness Initiative (Larry Malone), Entrepreneurial League System (Tim McClung), upcoming events
  • Noon-1 p.m. Lunch and networking
  • 12:50-1 p.m. Congressman Nick Rahall
  • 1-2 p.m.Views on Entrepreneurial DevelopmentGov. Joe Manchin
  • 2:15-3:15 p.m. Breakout sessionsFocus on Youth Entrepreneurship(Karen Jacobson, Randolph County Housing Authority);Revenge of the Right Brain: Creativity in Business Workshop(Robert Godbey, GodbeyWorks);Using Technology to Succeed(Bill Lenherr, Greenbrier Communications Inc.; Timothy Luce, Presidio Studios; Jack Shaffer, Columbia Natural Resources)
  • 3:15-3:45 p.m. Breakout sessions report to general session
  • 3:45-4 p.m. Closing remarks Myers and Sobel