Small business support organizations initiate movement to champion Missouri's entrepreneurs

Several Missouri business support organizations have joined together recently to create legislative and public awareness about the importance of entrepreneurship and the need to foster its creation and success within the state.

The Missouri Opportunities and Resources for Entrepreneurs — MORE — initiative was created as a result of discussions among Associated Industries of Missouri; the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Missouri Economic Development Council; Missouri Enterprise; the Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers; the Missouri Technology Corporation; and the Missouri Chapter of the National Federation for Independent Businesses.

"Together, along with the state's colleges and universities, these groups form the most comprehensive outreach network in our state," says Max Summers, interim director of the University of Missouri Business Development Program, which houses the MO SBTDC. "We believe the time has come for us to coordinate our efforts in creating public awareness, conducting legislative outreach and providing resources and assistance to entrepreneurs. There is no duplication in what we each bring to this effort; rather, we complement one another in our support of Missouri business, and we want to communicate that to policymakers and the state. Entrepreneurship and small business are the keys to our economic recovery."

Summers cites a March 2010 finding by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which used U.S. Census Bureau data to conclude that between 1999 and 2008 the median household income in Missouri dropped 14.6 percent, the steepest drop among all 50 states. He sees small business playing a major role in reversing that finding.

Brad Jones, NFIB state director for Missouri, agrees.

"Entrepreneurs are the job creators," Jones says. "Small businesses and the self-employed are responsible for all of the net job creation not only in Missouri, but nationwide. We in Missouri need to seize the opportunity to better support those companies and create an environment in which they can thrive. Eighty-eight percent of the firms in this state have fewer than 10 employees."

To achieve its goal of raising awareness regarding the importance of entrepreneurship and small business to the state's economic future, MORE will:

• Create a public awareness campaign highlighting the importance of entrepreneurship and small business as an economic development strategy for the state. The campaign will carry the endorsement of MO SBTDC, AIM, NFIB, MEDC, Missouri Enterprise, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the MU College of Engineering.
• Work collectively in championing support for small business and entrepreneurship with the Missouri legislature.
• Produce a resource guide for small business that includes locations and descriptions of sources for assistance and support.
• Present awards for excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship at a Small Business Showcase Jan. 26, in Jefferson City.

Ray McCarty, AIM president, welcomes the opportunity to share a message about small business that is broader than the more recent focus on technology companies.

"Our membership includes many manufacturers and as well as non-high-technology companies," McCarty says. "We need to support ALL Missouri businesses, and in particular, we need to fight the perception that manufacturing is dying in our state. We, as a state and nation, need to continue to design, build and sell products nationally and internationally. It's important that movements such as MORE champion those job-sustaining industries."

Dusty Cruise, president of Missouri Enterprise, a federally funded Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, agrees.

"If we ever, as a nation, stop producing goods, we endanger our competitiveness long-term," Cruise says. "MORE will help us keep the importance of all small business, including manufacturers of all sizes, in the forefront of the economic development discussion. We are pleased to partner with other organizations in carrying this message to our legislature and beyond."

Tracy King represents the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the MORE organizing committee.

"As the largest Missouri business membership organization, the Missouri Chamber looks forward to working through MORE to communicate to the Missouri legislature the importance of supporting Missouri employers with resources, information, networks and technical assistance," King says. "As the Chamber addresses policy issues of importance to Missouri business, we look forward to MORE's involvement in supporting with advocacy and education."

Ben Jones, president of America's Heartland Economic Partnership in Lebanon and MEDC representative, appreciates MORE's plans to celebrate the success of Missouri communities' existing successful businesses.

"As economic developers, we encourage start-up businesses and assist them as we can in finding the resources they need to take root in our communities," Jones says. "In addition, a great deal of our work is focused on retaining successful businesses in the state and helping them reach the next level in their growth. MORE should be a powerful voice for those companies who create the fabric of enterprise in Missouri."

According to the Kauffman Foundation, Missouri ranks 49th nationally in entrepreneurial activity. MORE's mission is to improve that ranking by helping create a climate of growth and innovation and bring more balance to the state's economic development agenda.

For more information on MORE and upcoming activities, contact Mary Paulsell with the MU BDP at 573-882-1353 or paulsellm@missouri.edu. Or contact any of the MORE partners:

• Ray McCarty, Associated Industries of Missouri, at 573-634-2246
• Ben Jones, MEDC, at 417-533-5627
• Dusty Cruise, Missouri Enterprise, at 800-956-2682
• Tracy King, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at 573-634-3511
• Jason Hall, Missouri Technology Corporation, at 573-526-0470
• Brad Jones, NFIB, at 573-634-7660

This story was featured in the December 2010 newsletter