All Hallows Eve is almost upon us! Beware the ghosts and goblins (but enjoy the candy)!

DCEDC has scheduled the inaugural meeting of the Door County Inventors and Entrepreneurs (I&E) Club for Tuesday, November 7th, 6-8pm at the Sturgeon Bay campus of the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (229 North 14th Avenue). Anyone with an idea for a small business or product they’d like to bring to market is encouraged to attend, as are current business owners who’d like to network with like-minded individuals. Retirees and former business owners who would like to network and share their experiences with new entrepreneurs are also welcome. I&E Club meetings, and membership, are free and open to the public.

This initial meeting will introduce the concept of an Inventors and Entrepreneurs (I&E) Club to the area and include a screening of “Catch The Fever,” a DVD video produced by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network. The film features the fantastically successful Juneau County I&E Club, which claims over 300 members and has provided inspiration and guidance to dozens of start-up companies. I&E Clubs are sprouting up all over the state, offering networking and learning opportunities for anyone who is thinking about starting a business, bringing a new product to market or talking to people who are already established in business.

Small business owners use an average of $10,000 to start their businesses, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index study released in August 2006 by Wells Fargo & Company. Many small business owners started businesses with their own money, and with very small amounts. Seventy-three percent of business owners surveyed primarily funded their businesses with their own personal savings, while 37 percent obtained loans and lines of credit.

The study also revealed a need for business knowledge and information. Only thirty-one percent of small business owners surveyed started with business plans. Forty-nine percent say they would have had an easier time had they asked for more advice from experienced business owners, while an additional thirty-nine percent indicated a better understanding of financial management would have been an asset.

The Door County Business Development Center, the small business incubator operated and managed by the Door County Economic Development Corporation, is pleased to announce that a current tenant, Iron City LLC, has grown beyond the facility and will graduate to a new location. Iron City, LLC will now be located in a section of the former Emerson Motors building in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park.

Established in 2002 by owner Gary Miller, Iron City was founded to provide manufacturers with one premier source for all sizes and types of aluminum and fabricated blast gates. Used in dust collection systems to control airflow from one machine to another, blast gates maximize system efficiency. Also known to the industry as cut-offs, Iron City aluminum blast gates save power and increase efficiency. The majority of Iron City's aluminum blast gates are produced using die-cast molds, which ensure a higher quality, nicer looking and lower priced blast gate.

TF System - The Vertical ICF, Inc. (formerly Wisconsin Thermo-Form) has also fully graduated from the incubator, after previously moving their fabrication and warehousing operations. The company is now completely headquartered in Green Bay, in order to better serve their clients in the Fox Valley and beyond. TF System manufactures insulated concrete building systems. The highly efficient, patented TF Building System is based on an I-Beam structural framing skeleton, and top and bottom guide channels. This system holds panels of high-density expanded polystyrene to create a single package of form, permanent reinforcing and insulation for poured concrete walls.

Because of the changes at the Door County Business Development Center, the small business incubator has a variety of spaces immediately available for rent: five finished offices (150 to 400 sq ft) and 3,200 sq ft of light manufacturing space. Much of the available space is dividable to accommodate the needs of any size or type of business. Eligible clients include new or young companies looking for support to get a strong start in business.

The Business Development Center helps reduce business start-up overhead costs by offering affordable rents and providing free or low-cost access to shared facilities, services and equipment, including: truck docks; forklift; high-speed internet access, copier, fax and mail services; and a private conference room. Center tenants may also qualify for special business incentive and finance programs: low interest loans; business finance training and consulting; tax incentives; and financing eligibility and application assistance.

For more information regarding the available space in the Door County Business Development Center, located in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park, contact Mary Paitrick, DCEDC Operations Manager at (920) 743-3113 x202.