EducationArchive for the ‘’ Category

#AskUnit4 Twitter Chats for Back-to-School Scheduled for August 6 and 7

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and Champaign Unit #4 Schools will kick off a new series of Twitter chats during the first week of August that cover various topics relevant to the District and Champaign County. The first two chats—scheduled for Tuesday, August 6 from 4-5 p.m. and Wednesday, August 7 from 10-11 a.m.—will focus on all things back-to-school and answer questions on topics such as enrollment, bus schedules, physical exams/forms, food service, the new District website, and anything else participants would like to ask.

Stephanie Stuart, Unit #4 Community Relations Coordinator, and Carly McCrory, Communications Director for the Champaign County EDC, will both moderate the chat and various representatives from the Unit #4 School District will be on hand to answer questions relevant to the topics listed above.

All community members are invited to participate in the chat. To participate, log in to Twitter and search for hashtag #AskUnit4. To be included in the chat, the hashtag must be included in your tweets (questions and answers).

Follow Unit 4 (@Unit4Schools) and the Champaign County EDC (@CHCEDC) on Twitter.

If you have questions about the Twitter chat and/or would like more information, please contact:

Stephanie Stuart at stuartst@champaignschools.org, 217-531-0252
Carly McCrory at carly@champaigncountyedc.org, 217-359-6261

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EnterpriseWorks Named a College-Town Incubator to Watch by Inc. Magazine

Article Source: UI Research Park

An article in the June 2013 issue of Inc. Magazine declares EnterpriseWorks, the technology business incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park, as one of three college-town incubators worth watching.

The article highlights some of the incubator’s strengths, including entrepreneur counseling and support. It also mentions that EnterpriseWorks clients and graduates have raised more than $550 million in outside capital. The article calls out one of EnterpriseWorks tenants, IntelliWheels, “a company that has created a patent-pending gear system for manual wheelchairs, was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health and has raised more than $500,000 in funding.”

The other college town incubators featured are Arizona State University’s Furnace Technology Transfer Accelerator and the USC/Columbia Technology Incubator out of the University of South Carolina.

This isn’t the first time that EnterpriseWorks has received recognition from the Inc. “family”. In 2011, Inc.com named EnterpriseWorks one of 10 Start-up Incubators to Watch in the U.S.

Millennial Entrepreneurs Event to be Held May 1st

Contact:
Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
(217) 359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org
www.champaigncountyedc.org
@CHCEDC

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Enterprising youth and their impact on economic development will be the topic of discussion at two events to be held on May 1, 2013 starting at 3 pm at the Thelma Keller Convention Center in Effingham, IL.

The Millennial Entrepreneurs presentation, by Jack Schultz from Agracel, Inc./Boomtown Institute and local educator Craig Lindvahl, will show how communities are making connections between young people and economic development in rural communities.

lindvahl

Craig Lindvahl developed and has taught the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) special high school course on entrepreneurism. As a result of his work with the innovative CEO class, he was recently named the Illinois “teacher-preneur” of the year. Effingham County has over 20 new businesses started as a direct result of this course, and more importantly, it has transformed the lives of the young people who have taken this accredited course. The presentation will focus not only on CEO and other approaches from around the country, but will also include:

  • Towns transformed by entrepreneurs
  • Current research on Entrepreneurism in America
  • Examples of supercharged Millennials
  • How to stay connected with our youth

Jack-Schultz-199x300

Jack Schultz is an entrepreneur and author whose research has been published in USA Today, Forbes, Business Week, and other publications. Jack is a past recipient of the Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award and also of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Medallion for Entrepreneurship for his many accomplishments, fueled by his passion for rural America. In 2007 his book Boomtown USA: The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns was added to Forbes magazine’s list of Books to Get Rich By.

Sponsors for this event include: East Central Illinois Development Corporation (ECIDC), Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, East Central Illinois Economic Development District, Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship, Agracel, Business Solutions Center at Eastern Illinois University, and the Thelma Keller Convention Center of Effingham.

Registration is only $10, which includes hors d’oeuvres. Please RSVP by Friday, April 19th to Jean Anne Grunloh at 217-540-3517 or via email to jgrunloh@lakeland.cc.il.us. Please provide your name, address, title and organization. Cash or check, payable to ECIDC, will be accepted at the door or can be mailed to ECIDC, 1204 Network Center, Effingham, IL 62401.

The second event is the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) Trade Show, to be held at 5 pm at the Effingham Performance Center. Students in the current CEO class at Effingham High School will highlight new start-up businesses they have created over the last year.

For questions or more information, contact Jean Ann Grunloh, Executive Director of the East Central Illinois Development Corporation at 217-540-3517 or via email at info@ecidc.com.

2013 Innovation Celebration Winners

Innovation Celebration Logo

Over 200 people gathered at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications for the Eighth Annual Innovation Celebration on the evening of February 28th to recognize those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, taken risks, and provided leadership to ensure the continuing economic success of Champaign County, the ongoing success of the University’s economic development mission, and the growth of entrepreneurial talent and energy in the community.

Innovation Celebration is not merely an award for accomplishment, but a benchmark of success for those outstanding individuals, organizations and corporations who are nominated and selected to receive this prestigious award. Additionally, Innovation Celebration serves as a tangible collaboration between the University of Illinois, Parkland College and the community.

Award Winners

Innovation Discovery Award (University of Illinois Award) – Martin Burke

Innovation Transfer Award (University of Illinois Award) – Yoram Bresler

Innovation in Engagement Award (Parkland College Award) – Don Bergfield

Social Entrepreneurship Award – Illinois Green Business Association (IGBA)

Entrepreneur Advocacy Award – Andrew Singer, U of I Technology Entrepreneur Center

Economic Development Impact Award – Champaign Organization of Developers and Engineers (CODE)

Entrepreneurial Excellence in Management Award – Chris Harbourt, Waterborne Environmental, Inc.

Longevity through Innovation Award – Cobalt Digital

Student Startup Award – Oso Technologies

New Venture Award – Spinlight Studio

The winners were chosen out of more than 150 nominations.

The event was sponsored by the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, the University of Illinois’ Technology Entrepreneur Center, Research Park, Office of Corporate Relations, Office of Technology Management, and Office of the Vice President for Research, along with NCSA, Parkland College, Singleton Law Firm, Serra Ventures, Hanson Financial, Ramshaw Real Estate and Surface 51.

Thank you to 40 North for producing the videos for all the winners.

Buzz about the event:

News-Gazette Article

News-Gazette Photos

Storify (#InnCel2013)

Champaign County EDC Photos

SASE TV Video (Awards Ceremony)

Contact:

Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County EDC
217-359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

2013 Innovation Celebration Finalists

Innovation Celebration Logo

Champaign, IL

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, the University of Illinois’ Technology Entrepreneur Center, Research Park, Office of Corporate Relations, Office of Technology Management, and Office of the Vice President for Research, along with NCSA, Parkland College, Singleton Law Firm, Serra Ventures, Hanson Financial, Ramshaw Real Estate and Surface 51 are pleased to sponsor the Eighth Annual Innovation Celebration in recognition of those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, taken risks, and provided leadership to ensure the continuing economic success of Champaign County, the ongoing success of the University’s economic development mission, and the growth of entrepreneurial talent and energy in the community.

Innovation Celebration is not merely an award for accomplishment, but a benchmark of success for those outstanding individuals, organizations and corporations who are nominated and selected to receive this prestigious award. Additionally, Innovation Celebration serves as a tangible collaboration between the University of Illinois, Parkland College and the community.

Award Finalists

Innovation Discovery Award – University of Illinois Award

Yoram Bresler
Martin Burke
Jean-Pierre LeBurton

Innovation Transfer Award – University of Illinois Award

William P. King
John Dallesasse
Yoram Bresler

Innovation in Engagement Award – Parkland College Award

Winner will be announced at the event.

Social Entrepreneurship Award

Illinois Green Business Association (IGBA)
The I.D.E.A. Store
Illini for Kids

Entrepreneur Advocacy Award

Alex Ruggieri – Central Illinois Business Radio
Andrew Singer – U of I Technology Entrepreneur Center
Dennis Beard & Tim Hoerr – Serra Ventures

Economic Development Impact Award

Midwest Underground Technology
Champaign Organization of Developers and Engineers (CODE)
UC2B

Entrepreneurial Excellence in Management Award

Charlie Li – American Analytical Chemistry Laboratories
Al Fleener – Surface 51
Chris Harbourt – Waterborne Environmental, Inc.

Longevity through Innovation Award

Rich Masel
Cobalt Digital
Waters Electrical Contracting

Student Startup Award

Autumn Berry Inspired
Oso Technologies
HigherMed

New Venture Award

Sonistic
mpressInteractive
Spinlight

The winners will be announced at the 2013 Innovation Celebration, held at NCSA (1205 W. Clark, Urbana) on Thursday, February 28, 2013 from 5:30-8 pm. To RSVP, learn more about the event, or view past winners and award descriptions, visit the Innovation Celebration website at www.innovationcelebration.com.

Contact:

Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County EDC
217-359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

 

 

 

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