The Journal
Published: February 12, 2007

Business growth program coming

By: Lauren Hough

MARTINSBURG — Business owners, employees and anyone in between can reap the benefits of a practical, 10-week-long curriculum aimed at spurring forward successful operations when a new program launches in the Eastern Panhandle next month.

The FastTrac^® GrowthVenture^™ entrepreneurial and business education program will be offered in Martinsburg at the West Virginia University Hospitals-East Erma Byrd Health Professions Education Center, beginning March 15.

Offered by the INNOVA Commercialization Group, an initiative of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, the program will make its debut in the Eastern Panhandle this year, said Patrick Gregg, FastTrac^® Statewide Administrator.

“There’s been a lot of excitement about it in the Eastern Panhandle by some pretty active groups, like the Eastern Panhandle Entrepreneurs Forum, the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, the Jefferson County EDA and the Morgan County EDA,” Gregg said. “Groups like that have been on board since the beginning.”

Individual businesses have also supported the venture, he said, because they see the value it has within the entire business community.

FastTrac^® GrowthVenture^™ targets people involved in existing enterprises who want to improve the performance of their business, according to materials provided by INNOVA.

The program, held one night per week from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the 10-week period, features content and action steps to help these businesspeople sharpen their strategic thinking and decision-making skills as they plan for the growth of their businesses.

Program participants complete the course with a business plan, entrepreneurial strategies and a vision for success.

“We’ve had everyone from CEOs to CFOs to managers to just regular employees (take the course) because they feel as though if they, as individuals, have a better understanding of how a business operates, they will see how they can be more important or valuable to the organization,” Gregg said. “They see how they can improve the business themselves. Everyone wins.”

The uniqueness of the workshop’s design allows participants to take a look at the successes they have had to date, while also internally assessing the ways they might tweak or adjust their operations to really help their business grow, said program facilitator Doug Hovatter.

A national trainer with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation since 1999, Hovatter has also realized a newer potential in the program.

“This would be wonderful for nonprofit organizations, for churches — any organization that is looking for growth, and how to organize that growth,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful concept and a wonderful program to help people understand how to work with growth in their organization.”

In a survey of West Virginians who have gone through the program, nearly all respondents said they saw their business increase in revenues, Gregg said, and 87 percent were able to hire more people.

“It’s had a very positive effect in the state so far,” he said. “We’re confident that will happen with the program based in Martinsburg as well.”

In addition to certified results, the program also guarantees excitement and variety for participants.

“There will be a mixed bag of learning opportunities every day, ranging from classroom-type instruction to breakout groups,” Gregg said. “And every day they will have a guest speaker, who is an expert practitioner in the topic area being discussed that day in class.”

Having an expert in the room as a resource is one thing participants look forward to the most, he added.

“Being in contact with someone who has been successful in that area is a great thing for the people in the program,” Gregg said. “It’s very encouraging, and a real momentum creator for the people in contact with these guest speakers.”

The selected experts are the people who are out in the real world, conducting business and being successful at it, he said — they are the kind of people newer business owners want to be in contact with.

FastTrac^®, while aimed at helping individuals, has the potential to also strengthen the economies in which the program is offered.

“If people are able to do anything to help their regional economy and help businesses become more successful, they will certainly do that,” Gregg said. “The response we’ve had so far has been very, very positive.”