Page 245 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

234 June Holley

various ways to finance entrepreneurial ventures and the importance of
involving local financial institutions.
This chapter uses a case study to explore the factors previously described
as essential to successful entrepreneurship and the dynamics of regional en-
trepreneurial economies in greater depth. A case study format is used to the
transformative processes that occurred in one region—Appalachian Ohio—
and outlines the policy implications that can be drawn from that region’s
successful experimentation.
The chapter explores the intriguing changes that occurred in this region
during the last decade, from the initial formation of a specialty food cluster
to the current operation of the Appalachian Ohio Regional Entrepreneur-
ship Network. The first section describes how a local economic develop-
ment organization implemented an entrepreneurial strategy to add value to
the region’s agricultural assets through the organization of a cluster—a sys-
tem of support for specialty food entrepreneurs. This cluster-formation con-
sisted of three dynamic processes: (1) building networks, (2) encouraging
innovation, and (3) involving many groups in collaborative efforts.
The next section describes how the success in the specialty food sector be-
came the foundation for the development of a regional innovation econ-
omy. The major vehicle for this transformation was the emergence of a
regional flavor cluster where artisans and food businesses joined with
tourism bureaus and other community organizations to combine their of-
ferings and open large regional markets. The final section explores the po-
tential of two regional entrepreneurship networks to expand the impact of
local successes through policy and learning.

A SPECIALTY FOOD CLUSTER EMERGES
IN APPALACHIAN OHIO

Like many other local economies during the 1990s, Appalachian Ohio lost
businesses and jobs as lower cost international suppliers made Ohio busi-
nesses, especially small manufacturers, less competitive. For example, in less
than a decade, Athens County (pop. 60,000), saw the demise of three gro-
cery stores, a Japanese seat belt manufacturer, a plastics manufacturer, and
a shoe factory, resulting in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. However, a
small group in the region began to explore options that would provide jobs
and wealth less susceptible to these large international forces.

A Kitchen Incubator
In 1992, a group of farmers approached the Appalachian Center for Eco-
nomic Networks (ACEnet), a regional nonprofit that operated a small busi-