Microenterprise in Hawaii

[monitor at aloha.net (Ian]

Aloha from Hawaii.

I am currently involved in efforts by the Hawaii Community Development
Financial Institution (HCDFI) to create a statewide microenterprise program
here in our islands. The latest HCDFI program under development is a
centralized loan pool with a technical assistance component which will
(hopefully) allow local community economic development organizations
(CEDOs) to develop and enhance their capacity to organize microenterprise
lending groups within their particular communities. The HCDFI would
provide technical assistance and money to lend as well as a centralized
clearinghouse to the local CEDOs.

I would be very interested in hearing from microenterprise practitioners
who might have experience or ideas relevant to the creation of a
microenterprise "super-structure" such as this.

Mahalo,
Ian Hodges



___________________________________

Ian Hodges, news editor
Pacific Monitor
"World News - Local Impact"
808-573-2743 voice
808-573-0246 fax
__________________________________



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[mverchot at u.washington.]

The University of Washington School of Business has begun a Business and
Economic Development Program that is forming links with public and
private loan programs (CDFIs, equity funds, and public and private
lenders) that is allowing recipients of investments to tap into business
assistance from MBA students and faculty. This structure allows for
efficiencies in a number of ways: (1) by students receiving both
financial and course credit compensation the cash cost is reduced, (2)
businesses receive state-of-the-art business assistance with quality
assurance through faculty over-site, (3) students learn the challenges of
running a capital-constrained firm, and (4) business school faculty begin
to develop expertise in a new sector of the economy allowing them to
better meet the educational needs of this sector of the economy.

In establishing this relationship with your state university's B-School,
it will be important to have the support of the Dean and several key
faculty. This will allow for a multi-disciplinary approach rather than
having access to only the marketing department or only the accounting
department.

Feel free to contact me if you have other questions about establishing
this type of program with your B-School.

Michael Verchot
Director
University of Washington Business and Economic Development Program
Box 353200
Seattle, WA 98195-3200
(206) 543-9327
mverchot@u.washington.edu



On Tue, 2 Jan 1996, Ian Hodges wrote:

> Aloha from Hawaii.
>
> I am currently involved in efforts by the Hawaii Community Development
> Financial Institution (HCDFI) to create a statewide microenterprise program
> here in our islands. The latest HCDFI program under development is a
> centralized loan pool with a technical assistance component which will
> (hopefully) allow local community economic development organizations
> (CEDOs) to develop and enhance their capacity to organize microenterprise
> lending groups within their particular communities. The HCDFI would
> provide technical assistance and money to lend as well as a centralized
> clearinghouse to the local CEDOs.
>
> I would be very interested in hearing from microenterprise practitioners
> who might have experience or ideas relevant to the creation of a
> microenterprise "super-structure" such as this.
>
> Mahalo,
> Ian Hodges
>
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
> Ian Hodges, news editor
> Pacific Monitor
> "World News - Local Impact"
> 808-573-2743 voice
> 808-573-0246 fax
> __________________________________
>
>
>


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[mahon at kutztown.edu]

The Kutztown University Entrepreneurial Development and Global Education
(EDGE) Center, an outreach office of the College of Business, has been
assisting micro enterprise development in downtown Reading, PA by
utilizing honors under graduate and graduate students. Our mission is to
create community growth by providing a multi-tiered support system for
business and community development. We have adopted the African adage,
"It takes village to raise a child" and adapted it to fit our mission:
"It takes a community to raise an entrepreneur." We administer the MINDCO
Entrepreneurial Education Program - a twenty week, sixty hour program to
assist participants in learning to base their businesses on concepts,
values, experiences, skills, relationships and most importantly,
education. Founded on the belief that there is strength in diversity, the
EDGE Center seeks to foster women and minority entrepreneurs and enable
all members of our community to improve their lives and sense of self-worth.

The heart of the EDGE Center is the involvement of students in the
process. Students involved in teams provide day-to-day assistance and are
a primary reason for the success of the EDGE Center. The EDGE teams are
multi-disciplinary and assist in business plan development, financial
projections, market research and other business start-up activities.
Additional technical assistance is available from the professional
business consultants from the KU Small Business Development Center.

The Community is involved in the EDGE Center as volunteer mentors, course
instructors, micro loan peer circle leaders and computer tutors. Over
200 volunteers have helped us graduate over 100 minority, low-income and
women entreprenuers from the program since 1991. We administer a micro
loan program utilizing lending circles and cross - promises.

The key to the EDGE Center is the involvement of the university. The Dean
of the College of Business was one of four initial founders of the MINDCO
program and is the driving force behind the EDGE Center. Professors from
the University have come to utilize the EDGE Center for internship
programs for their students, semester project opportunities, etc. Support
from the University is a crucial element of our success.

The EDGE Center is an active member of the Pennsylvania Micro Enterprise
Coalition (PMC). This is a group of micro enterprise service providers
across Pennsylvania which meets to discuss issues of common concern and
to share ideas and challenges. We meet quarterly and are seeking funding
to help the Coalition further develop. Most of the members of PMC are
members of the Association of Enterprise Organizations (AEO) which is a
national organization that is very active in and supportive of state wide
coalition activities by micro enterprise groups. I recommend that the
Hawaii organization seek membership in AEO and attend the annual
conferences.

Good luck with the micro enterprise efforts underway in your area.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jill H. Mahon
Kutztown University EDGE Center
PO Box 253
Reading, PA 19603-0253
(610)375-4220
fax: (610)375-4229
e-mail mahon@kutztown.edu


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[bizgrow2 at buffnet.net]

I was recently at a HUD EZ/EC (Enterprise Zone/ Enterprise Community)
Conference in Buffalo where I heard a banking and community development
consultant, James Vitarello of James Vitarello Development Associates, Inc.
speak on this very topic. He had quite a bit to say about the model of a
centralized organization providing technical support and funding support to
a variety of community based loan funds. I was impressed. He offered to
make available some printed materials describing successful programs in
Florida and in Indiana. He can be reached at: P.O. Box 21177 Washington,
D.C. 20009 or 202/332-4455 fax 202/232-3206 (I lost his email address).

If you are interested in the microenterprise side, one of my partners has
developed a very good Microenterprise Development Program that he has
conducted for our local Private Industry Council. It is very down to earth,
hands on and much more practical than anything I ever saw in business
school. I believe he is interested in licensing it. His name is Tom
Grifasi and he can be reached at Business Growth Partners 270 Wales Ave.
Tonawanda, NY 14150 716/693-2000 X 2 fax 716/693-2017 or email me and I'll
walk the message down the hall.

Derek Bateman


>Aloha from Hawaii.
>
>I am currently involved in efforts by the Hawaii Community Development
>Financial Institution (HCDFI) to create a statewide microenterprise program
>here in our islands. The latest HCDFI program under development is a
>centralized loan pool with a technical assistance component which will
>(hopefully) allow local community economic development organizations
>(CEDOs) to develop and enhance their capacity to organize microenterprise
>lending groups within their particular communities. The HCDFI would
>provide technical assistance and money to lend as well as a centralized
>clearinghouse to the local CEDOs.
>
>I would be very interested in hearing from microenterprise practitioners
>who might have experience or ideas relevant to the creation of a
>microenterprise "super-structure" such as this.
>
>Mahalo,
>Ian Hodges
>
>
>
>___________________________________
>
>Ian Hodges, news editor
>Pacific Monitor
>"World News - Local Impact"
>808-573-2743 voice
>808-573-0246 fax
>__________________________________
>
>
>



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