Association forms to promote business success

The Missouri Incubation Association is a newly formed group of incubation leaders who plan to use their collective voice to promote Missouri’s economy.

Steve Russell, director of the Joseph Newman Innovation Center in Joplin, has had a role in forming the association. He said the group has met only to brainstorm ideas, but it will elect officers and put forth long-term goals soon.

“Our goal is to have a voice to promote incubators, and economic development through incubators,” he said. “We wanted a professional organization to speak with that voice.”

Russell said the association will help form relationships among incubation leaders, as well as among incubation leaders and legislators.

“We can go to Jefferson City to promote development and say, ‘Here are some issues we’ve found, can you help us, in return for helping Missouri’s economy?’” he said.

A business incubator is, as Russell said, “a tool to encourage the startup of businesses, to support them and help them develop so they can go out on their own as a successful company.”

Services an incubator might offer include office space, manufacturing areas, office supplies, color copiers, furniture and business advice.

The association will attempt to increase awareness of business incubation, work with officials to increase support for incubation and share incubation ideas among leaders within the organization, according to a news release. The group’s Web site will be www.moinc.org.