Week of November 29 - December 3, 2004

Welcome to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news. 

A Final Capitol Hill Update for 2004

After a rough and tumble election season, Congress returned to work two weeks ago to take up its unfinished business, namely, to pass a budget for the fiscal year that started two months ago on September 30th. All of the outstanding spending bills have been lumped into an Omnibus Appropriations package (HR 4818), and this year’s budget has been put to bed. A controversy over the bill's tax provisions has emerged, but the basic budget numbers will likely remain unchanged... 

• Overall, the bill provides $388.4 billion in discretionary spending on domestic programs. This total represents zero growth in domestic spending; this freeze comes after several years of growth in these accounts. 

• Key programs supporting small business and technology development fared pretty well. For example, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which was originally slated for shutdown, received $109 million in funding for this year. The bill re-authorizes the Small Business Administration for an additional two years, and also preserves key programs such as SBA’s microloan initiatives and the Women’s Business Center program. Finally, the bill opts to maintain current user fees in SBA’s 7(a) loan program; this move was deemed necessary to keep the program operating. 

• Major R&D programs were significantly cut back or frozen. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget will rise only 2% this year, a major drop from the 15% annual budget increases that have been enacted since 1998. Similarly, the Advanced Technology Program was saved from shutdown, but its budget will decline by 24% compared to last year.

To learn more, visit http://thomas.loc.gov.

Hispanic Entrepreneur of the Year

Hispanic Business has just named its 14th annual Hispanic Entrepreneur of the Year. This year’s winner is Robert Dominguez Jr., founder and CEO of Ambreco Inc., a general contracting firm based in Belton, Texas. Ambreco was founded in 1992 and has become a national leader in concrete construction; it actively participates in the Small Business Administration's 8(a) development program, and has a wide range of public sector clients. Other award winners include: 

• Rising Star Entrepreneur: Leeanna Román of New Jersey-based Providence Pediatric Medical Daycare. 

• Latina Entrepreneur: Gloria Peña of Arizona-based Innovations Group, a provider of technical, management and employment services. 

• Infobusiness: Nina Vaca of Pinnacle Technical Resources, a Dallas, Texas-based IT provider. 

• Trade Industry: Jorge and Carlos de Céspedes of Miami’s Pharmed Group, the US’ largest minority-owned distributor of medical pharmaceutical supplies.

To learn more about Hispanic Business magazine and its annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards, visit www.hispanicbusiness.com

Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities

If you don’t mind hurricanes, Florida is a pretty good place to do business. That’s one take-away message from the Milken Institute’s annual ranking of America’s best performing cities in terms of job creation and innovation. Florida has seven metropolitan areas ranked in the top 20 metros, with Ft. Myers-Cape Coral, FL ranking No. 1. Missoula, Montana ranks as the No. 1 small metro area. The Milken Institute rankings have traditionally emphasized technology development, and technology rich areas have normally performed well in the rankings. This year’s list is slightly different, as regions with low costs, growing populations, and stable anchor industries (e.g. health care, government) rank highly this year. Researchers also note that most high-performing cities boast strong service sectors in health care, construction, and tourism that have capitalized on the economic rebound now underway in many regions of the US. 

The November 2004 Milken Institute report, Best Performing Cities: Where America's Jobs Are Created and Sustained, by Ross DeVol and Lorna Wallace, with Armen Bedroussian and Junghoon Ki, is available at www.milkeninstitute.org

The Best in Social Entrepreneurship

If you’re a regular reader of NDE-News, you’re probably familiar with Ashoka, one of the world’s first and most effective promoters of social entrepreneurs. Founded in 1980, Ashoka makes small investments in social entrepreneurs who are engaged in promoting positive social change. Much like a venture capital firm, Ashoka invests in well-qualified and committed individuals (or teams) who then promote positive social innovations. Since 1982, Ashoka has invested in 1,500 fellows in 53 countries around the world. Its latest innovation is a new Global Fellows program that supports social entrepreneurs who are doing work that has positive global (not just local or regional) impact. The first three Ashoka Global Fellows are:

• Ron Layton, a New Zealander who works with native peoples to shift control of licenses, patents, intellectual property, and the like back to the producers of goods like textiles, coffee, and other goods.

• Karen Tse, an advocate for criminal justice reforms who has successfully modified such systems in Cambodia, China, and Vietnam.

• Orri Vigfusson, who is leading a major citizen-based campaign to save the wild Atlantic salmon.

To learn more about Ashoka, visit www.ashoka.org. To learn more about Ashoka’s Global Fellows Program, visit http://www.ashoka.org/global/aw_globalfellows.cfm.

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