Entrepreneurship Class Concludes

Stafford County Economic Development announces the completion of this spring’s Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI) class that provides the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program to ignite the entrepreneurial mindset and cultivate an entrepreneurial culture.

Ice House redefines entrepreneurship as more than an academic discipline, reaching far beyond the concept of traditional business creation and small business management. Entrepreneurship is a mindset; a framework for thinking and acting that can empower anyone to succeed. It is a mindset that can empower ordinary people to accomplish the extraordinary.

“We want to start providing business development workshops to businesses and individuals in our county. Utilizing our NetWork Kansas E-Community partnership made the most sense,“ Ashlee Bevan, Program Director for Stafford County Economic Development. “We partnered with Pawnee County Economic Development in hopes to broaden conversation amongst the participants so there were new faces and stories to share. This board-certified program not only had participants thinking outside the box, but it brought in current business owners from around Stafford County to share their successes and lessons learned along the way.”

The Ice House Program is an experiential, problem-based learning program designed to inspire and engage participants in the fundamental aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset. ELI is the creator of the Ice House Program and ELI Founder Gary Schoeniger is the co-author of the program’s companion text, Who Owns the Ice House? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur, a powerful and compelling story that captures the essence of an entrepreneurial mindset and the unlimited opportunities it can provide.

“An entrepreneurial mindset shifts every day thinking into a new framework, empowering people to identify problems and deploy solutions using creative and critical thinking, effective problem solving, communication, and teamwork. And, in today’s rapidly changing, highly-complex world, the need for entrepreneurial thinkers at all levels of society has never been greater,” Schoeniger said.

Attending from Stafford County were: Misty Newell, Executive Director at Kenwood Plaza; Jamie Getty, St. John City Administrator; Kathleen Norman, AmeriCorps VISTA member with Stafford County Economic Development; Jami Downing, Stafford City Administrator; Eddie Towers, Director of Nursing at Kenwood Plaza; Kara Jecha, Administrative Assistant at Golden Belt Telephone.

About Stafford County Economic Development
Stafford County Economic Development strives to promote economic and population growth throughout the County by assisting our local businesses, engaging in community activities, and promoting Stafford County as a great place to live, work and play!

About the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative
The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI) is a global thought leader dedicated to expanding human potential through entrepreneurial mindset education. ELI serves academic institutions, government agencies, profit, and non-profit organizations around the world to empower their constituents with an entrepreneurial mindset through professional development training, facilitator certification, and curriculum content. ELI is the creator of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Programs. Learn more at www.elimindset.com.

The four in the photo were participants from our last class yesterday evening.
Left to Right: Kathleen Norman, Kara Jecha, Misty Newell, and Jamie Getty. 
(Thanks to the severe weather, it kept some of the other regulars from attending)