Yellow PagesKANAB, UTAH - The United States Department of Education awarded $95,000 to Dixie State College of Utah and The Center for Education, Business and the Arts (CEBA) in Kane County through a congressionally-directed grant to develop innovative training initiatives to assist rural entrepreneurs in establishing and advancing their businesses. A blended learning approach to instruction, which includes combined on-line and in-person instruction, and communication for entrepreneurs will enable those who are in remote areas to participate in training programs.
CEBA is the driving force behind this project, which is intended to provide information that will be of value to all entrepreneurs as well as specialized training in area such as art, writing and animal care. The long-term goal of the project is the coming together of e-learning and e-commerce technologies with education and business experts and entrepreneurs, which will enable rural businesses to succeed and compete on local, national and international levels. Curriculum development and website design are underway. Training is scheduled to begin in January 2010.
“In rural counties, a large part of economic development is entrepreneurship,” says Daniel W. Hulet, Chair of the Kane County Commission and the CEBA Governing Board. “Employment opportunities typically occur not with 20, 50 or 100 employees, but with two, five or nine. In Kane County, 42 percent of businesses have fewer than 20 employees.”
While centered in Kane County, this grant has a regional focus and will enable entrepreneurs in ten counties and three states to participate in training programs. The counties include Garfield, Beaver, San Juan, Iron and Washington counties in Utah; Coconino and Mohave counties in Arizona; and Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada.
Dixie State College contracted with Ed Meyer, who owns a rural consulting firm out of Kanab, to serve as the Project Coordinator of this initiative. He will work in conjunction with the Dixie Business Alliance, the Utah Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Dixie State College Udvar-Hazy School of Business and other regional partners to facilitate the development and delivery of services to area entrepreneurs. In addition, Ray Spencer, who represents the SBDC in Kane County, will also play a vital role in outreach, administration and marketing.
“One of the greatest challenges faced by entrepreneurs in small rural communities is that they are isolated from the information they need to succeed. At the same time, they cannot afford the time or expense of traveling to more populated centers where resources are more available,” Meyer said. “Our goal is to collaborate with partners throughout the region to deliver specialized training in more effective ways.”
Established in 2006, CEBA was created to encourage economic development in Kane County and the surrounding region and represents a partnership between local governments, education, industry and the community. For more information, contact Len Erickson at the Dixie Business Alliance at 435-652-7752 or at ericksonl@dixie.edu.
