Build the Basin Website Build the Basin initially lacked a central hub to promote activities, guide interested participants, and pass along information. In lieu of a physical space, a Build the Basin website is being constructed to serve that role. The website will tell the story of the Build the Basin initiative, and help the team promote its activities within the Central Wisconsin region. The website will also serve an administrative purpose, providing a central place for event registration, marketing and logistics. As the project grows, the website will be a chronicle of the Build the Basin successes. Internal Development: The Sentry School Entrepreneurship Center The Sentry School has been in the business of training entrepreneurs for decades, but in a more indirect manner. The traditional approach had been to provide quality business education across areas of specialization common in many organizations or as an entrepreneur. An entrepreneurship class or two existed, but there was not a comprehensive major. Faculty would mentor students on an ad hoc basis. This approach did produce many successful entrepreneurs, but entrepreneurship was not a primary focus of the school. An entrepreneurship area of concentration in the business administration major was added in 2009 to formalize our curriculum. The area of concentration consisted of 20+ credits of selected courses with about half of the classes directly teaching entrepreneurship and the rest teaching more general skills deemed to be of particular importance to an entrepreneur. Although the concentration enrolled some students, it never gained widespread popularity and was dropped when we converted our concentrations to majors in 2018. The entrepreneurship classes remained in the curriculum and students could take them as electives. The entrepreneurship concentration was also paired with more intentional work with a student entrepreneurial club, but much of the energy behind the initiatives dissipated with the departure of several faculty members. Our current work is looking to revive and expand earlier efforts. The recent internal work of the Sentry School falls under the umbrella of a new Entrepreneurship Center. Currently the Entrepreneurship Center is mostly an administrative entity, but we are designing a physical space for the center in the future Sentry Hall. Grouping our activities under the Entrepreneurship Center allows
and Stevens Point, CWED, WEDC, Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, MCDEVCO, and others. Emerging Entrepreneurs Night was as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to network with each other, as well as explore available resources. It was positively received and led to a second event in October 2024 in Mosinee which added 20 new attendees to the mix. Founders Network While the Emerging Entrepreneur Nights have been successful, they also highlighted a desire for entrepreneurs to get together to network and support each other on a more regular basis. The Founders Network program (see the Insight Spotlight column for more detail) was launched in spring 2024 in response to this demand. The Founders Network established monthly, or more frequent, meetings in the Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids communities bringing together entrepreneurs and leaders committed to innovation and connection. The meetings are user driven, with administrative support provided by members of Build the Basin. Attendance has been strong in all of the communities. In 2024, 21 events were held with a total of 425 attendees, with an additional 5 events and 96 attendees so far in 2025. The events have attracted a diverse set of attendees ranging from students and early entrepreneurs to seasoned business owners. Conversations have started about potentially forming a set of support groups branching out of the Founders Network. First Pitch Ideas Contest Another table project that emerging from the first workshop is the First Pitch Ideas contest. The goal of the contest was to provide an early-stage venue to pitch ideas with very low barriers to entry. Participants have 1 minute to pitch 1 idea, to potentially win a prize of $100. Although ideas related to new businesses are common, the First Pitch also encourages ventures related to community development and non-business ideas. In this way, the First Pitch branches across the different content areas incorporated in the initial workshop. The first competition was held in March 2024 on the Stevens Point Mid-State Technical College campus, in partnership with the Sentry School and CREATE Portage County. A second event took place in fall 2024 at the Mid-State campus in Wisconsin Rapids, with a third returning to the Stevens Point campus in March 2025. A fourth event is scheduled to take place at UWSP in fall 2025. The First Pitch helps students develop skills in pitching new ideas and thinking entrepreneurially, preparing them for their next steps in the entrepreneurial journey.
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Center for Business and Economic Insight
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