Corridor offering newest in entrepreneurial education

As part of its goal "to become the most entrepreneurial region in Iowa," representatives from the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corportion announce an afternoon seminar - Entrepreneurial Leadership - coming to the region this week. In partnership with the Professional Developers of Iowa Spring Conference being held in Okoboji June 4-6, the Iowa Lakes Corridor is bringing three distinguished experts to the region on Thursday, June 5 to discuss entrepreneurial leadership - in your organization or corporation, in your community and region, and in your state.

The seminar will be held at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer, 1-5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

From Babson College, and author of "Lead like an Entrepreneur: Keeping the Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive Within the Corporation," the group is bringing Neal Thornberry to the region. Neal has been working with several corporations around the country for the past decade or longer in building or rebuilding the entrepreneurial spirit within their organizations.

Neal will talk about ways in which organizations can develop and sustain innovation as an enabler of both human and organizational performance. In addition, he will talk about "corporate judo" as a necessary and little talked about leadership skill which will become increasingly important if companies, especially established ones, are to compete with smaller and more agile competitors. Participants will also learn about 11 leadership behaviors, which if practiced consistently, lead to higher employee satisfaction, higher customer satisfaction, and higher financial returns.

Another presenter will be Erik Pages, founder and owner of EntreWorks Consulting in Alexandria, Va. Erik has been promoting and consulting with organizations, communities and states about the importance of entrepreneurship, why it's important and a key part of our economy and economic development efforts. He has consulted with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and is the former policy director of the National Commission on Entrepreneurship. Erik will present and offer tips and guidance on how you can turn your community into an innovation and entrepreneurship hotspot.

The third expert is David Hensley, director and faculty member of the University of Iowa's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. David and his organization have been key partners with the Iowa Lakes Corridor and the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute. David will help facilitate the seminar, provide some insight on what's happening in Iowa and share his thoughts about keys to success in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region.