February Action for Adams Entrepreneur Fellow

by John Shepherd

February was an interesting month for me as the 2010 Walsh College Adams Entrepreneurial Fellow. I worked on a lot of different projects during the month including Take Off With Troy and Panthera.

I was part of the group that made presentations to potential grant funders from Florida and New York. We’re trying to secure funding for a new entrepreneurship program at Walsh College. I was able to explain the Adams Fellowship to the group as well as share my experiences at Walsh. From all accounts, our presentation went very well. It was a great opportunity for me to see how the staff prepares and executes a sales pitch. Look for announcements on the project in the future.

Take Off With Troy is taking shape. I recently attended the “State of the Cities” event sponsored by our partners The Troy Chamber of Commerce. Some of the people I have been working with this month are Michelle Hodges, President of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, Jeffrey Wright, Senior Vice President of Hennessey Capital, and Nancy Grose, of the U.S. Small Business Administration. All of them are very interesting people with great ideas. What is most exciting for me is that they are all willing to help me and Take Off With Troy succeed.
In the next month I will be attending a lot of Walsh Business Leadership Institute Affinity Group meetings. These meetings bring together established business owners as well as aspiring business owners. They are a great place to learn and share information. I will also be wrapping up the 2009 Small Business Makeovers.