Released Dec. 18, 2007

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Entrepreneurship traditionally refers to a new business in a single location, but more and more it is being practiced across broad geographic regions.

An upcoming Indiana WIRED workshop will help civic leaders and business-minded people in north-central Indiana think and act entrepreneurially in an ever-increasing global economy. The Energizing Entrepreneurs (e2) Institute will take place Feb. 4-7 at the Best Western Brandywine Inn and Suites, 304 S. Sixth St., Monticello. Registration is $400 for community teams of four to six people and includes meals and lodging.

Deadline for registrations is 5 p.m. EST Jan. 14. Space is limited.

"The Energizing Entrepreneurs Institute offers training for community leaders and citizens in creating local entrepreneurial support," said Terri Lester, project manager for the Purdue Center for Regional Development. "The e2 Institute is a nationally recognized program offered by the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

"Community teams will develop action plans to implement in their respective communities. Participants also become certified to offer direct support to community efforts to foster and nurture entrepreneurship. Anyone interested in becoming part of a community team and improving a community's ability to attract entrepreneurs, grow enterprises and create an entrepreneurial climate should attend this program."

A registration application is available online at http://www.conf.purdue.edu/wired. Additional information is available by contacting Lester at (877) 882-7273, tllester@purdue.edu.

The U.S. Department of Labor is providing financial support for the workshop.

Indiana WIRED is a three-year, $15 million program that combines the business, civic and educational resources of 14 north-central Indiana counties - Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren, and White - along with the region's colleges and universities, and other key organizations. Purdue University administers the Indiana WIRED grant.

WIRED stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development.

Indiana WIRED has four components:

• Create globally competitive industries by combining university research with existing advanced manufacturing, advanced materials and agribusiness firms to create clusters of innovation.

• Build an entrepreneurship super-region through the development and growth of new business, while simultaneously equipping existing industry with the tools to think and act entrepreneurially. Emerging and existing entrepreneurs - including students - along with community leaders and economic development support organizations, are key partners in the effort.

• Develop a work force with 21st century skills. The two-pronged initiative focuses on providing older workers the skills to remain employable in the future while developing educational models based on science, technology, engineering and math disciplines for K-12 students.

• Weave supportive civic networks. To ensure regional viability, cooperation must cross jurisdictional lines, such as cities and counties. The boundaries are irrelevant in a global economy that places an emphasis on entrepreneurship and high performance.

For more information about Indiana WIRED, visit the project's Web site at http://www.indiana-wired.net.

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http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2007b/071218LesterWired.html

Contacts: Terri Lester, (877) 882-7273, tllester@purdue.edu

Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

George Piper, (765) (765) 337-2208, gepiper@purdue.edu