As part of the 2011-2012 Chair’s Initiative on Growing State Economies, the National Governors Association hosted four regional summits across the country. These summits provide states an opportunity to learn from experts and business owners about the best strategies to create an environment focused on the importance of high-growth businesses in all its forms—startup firms, scalable enterprises, and transformational corporations. The fourth regional summit was held in Omaha, Nebraska on April 24-25, 2012.

AGENDA

PRESENTATIONS:

Plenary Session—What Makes State Economies Grow: The Myths, The Evidence, and The Opportunities

Enabling Scalable Start-ups: Best Practice Case Study

  • Todd Johnson, practice leader, Job Creation, Gallup
  • Beverly Kracher, executive director and president, Omaha Business Ethics Alliance
  • Terry Landes II, public relations and marketing director, Prairieland Foods, LLC
  • Blake Lawrence, founder and CEO, Hurrdat
  • Dan Shundoff, CEO, Intellicom Computer Consulting

Developing A State Entrepreneurial ecosystem

  • Michael Burcham, president & CEO, Nashville Entrepreneur Center
  • Christian Johansson, secretary, Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development
  • Deb Markley, managing director and director of research, Rural Policy Research Institute Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
  • Jeffrey Slobotski, co-founder & chief community builder, Silicon Prairie News

Supporting High-Growth Companies

Access to Financial and Capital

  • Bill Anderson, deputy director, Missouri Technology Corporation
  • George Glines, senior vice president and national SBA manager, Bank of the West
  • Lew Levey, chairman, Computime

Spurring Innovation From Within: How To Transform Existing Companies into New Job Generators

  • Dan Breznitz, associate professor, The College of Management and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Barry Johnson, senior associate dean and associate dean for research, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia

The Role of Universities in Business Development

  • Mary Jo Waits, division director, Economic, Human Services and Workforce, NGA Center for Best Practices
  • Jack Brittain, vice president for technology venture development, University of Utah
  • Clare Fairfield, chairman, Venture Capital Institute
  • James Linder, senior associate to the president for innovation and economic competitiveness, University of Nebraska

Entrepreneurial and Effective: Key Characteristics of A New Kind of Economic Development Agency

  • Deborah Durham, director, Iowa Department of Economic Development
  • Michael Finney, president and CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
  • Catherine Lang, director, Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and Commissioner, Nebraska Department of Labor