I had the pleasure of interviewing the new Board Chair, Bob DeKoning, for the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) the other day and asked him about his vision for OEN and how it can impact business growth and startup success in Oregon. Bob first and foremost made it clear that he is passionate and committed to creating a supportive atmosphere where startups can get the resources they need to thrive. Bob is a long time Oregonian and a successful repeat CEO at four different companies over the past 16 years. I asked Bob why he got involved in OEN and what led to him ultimately becoming the Board Chair. Bob explained:
“The reason I considered this opportunity was the fact that in this recessionary time, and with the state of the economy, I felt that there was a chance to make a difference. If we were looking for additional job growth in an environment of high unemployment, that job growth most likely would come from growth in small companies. I couldn’t think of a better way to give back and help this economy, than to come in and help keep OEN growing, and stimulating this economy, in support of small company management. ”
In the interview Bob took the time to expand upon his vision for OEN and where it can have the most impact on young Oregon companies. Bob indicated that there are three major focus areas where he is spending his time and energy with OEN:
- Make OEN indispensable to the entrepreneurs, here in the four-county area, as well as throughout the state of Oregon.
“We can do that by thinking outside of the box of what we are doing today, and look at ways at which perhaps OEN can further our efforts to provide funding mechanisms to those entrepreneurs. Today we have OEN’s Angel Oregon, OEN’s Venture Northwest, the Portland Angel Network, the Women’s Investment Network, and are involved with the Oregon Angel Fund. Ongoing we are exploring other creative programs that would provide funding opportunities. Other areas where we are thinking outside of the box is realizing where we can show some leadership in helping foster discussion amongst state leadership and entrepreneurs to help answer what is the state of entrepreneurism in this state? In fact, we’re looking at co-sponsoring some political forums, not debates, but forums along with the Portland Business Alliance, SAO and others, to help have this exchange between the candidates and the entrepreneur community in terms of what are the important issues, and what should we be addressing in Oregon in the years ahead. Additionally, I’m trying to look at some of the environments for entrepreneurs out there… some would call them incubators. It appears that the various communities in the four-county area are all looking at incubator involvement, and what the OEN can do to help whether it be through providing that type of facility management or leadership in getting a project like that to the support the areas entrepreneurs. We are actively pursuing unique, new opportunities like these to be indispensable to the entrepreneur.”
- Expand OEN’s focus on outreach beyond Portland.
“OEN, I think, really represents the Portland market extremely well and they have done the same downstate, but there’s even more that we can do. We’re supported the I-84 corridor right including Hood River, the Dalles, on out to Burns and La Grande and those economies. We’ve had great success with helping these communities launch their own PubTalk programs and there even has been the development and growth of the Gorge Angel Invesment Conference. We also have been supporting the communities along the I-5 corridor and over to Bend. There is more outreach to do but this region too has successfully developed a new investment conference supporting emerging companies.”
- Continue to focus on programs for entrepreneurs.
“Last year, in 2009, we certainly looked at which programs were financially viable or not, and which ones needed to be sunsetted. Many programs were taking extraordinary staff time, versus the real value-add that we offer the community. This year, now, with that already done, we are looking to expand programs, viable programs that are profitable from day one, but that addresses new needs in the community. For instance, we will be exploring putting on new programs for what we call gazelle-type companies, those companies that have emerged from the startup phase. They’re in a fast growing, scalable phase, maybe in that $3 million to $20 million range. They have unique needs, different from younger startups that are doing business plan reviews and angel funding. Can we put programs on like that? Can we partner with Willamette University, and The Portland Business Journal, to creat an entrepreneurial business index piece? Can we put on the other kinds of programs that haven’t been done yet that, again, bring value? We’re answering those questions and actively pursuing that.”
Bob emphasized that in addition to their top three priorities that he is looking to build an entrepreneurial community that is close knit, helps each other and has fun.
“At OEN, we like to have fun. That’s part of the entrepreneur environment as well, and so we’re looking to perhaps put on a party or two in the summer. It’s a way in which we can not only thank our membership and thank our volunteers, but have fun in the process. And, so, we’ll work hard, and we’ll play hard too.”
We wrapped up by speaking about what sets OEN apart from other organizations and Bob took the opportunity to speak to the strength of the OEN volunteer community.
“There are quite a few things that set OEN apart. The first, is the volunteer community. Linda has a staff of four great professionals, and Linda makes the fifth. But you can’t put on all the programs and tackle all the issues that the OEN takes on without volunteers. I think I’ve heard we have well over 100volunteers that support our programs throughout the year. That’s a huge network as opposed to some of the other associations that tend to rely primarily on the efforts of the Board members. So, the volunteer community really sets OEN apart because it allows us to put on far more programs that we could otherwise afford. Secondly, I think, OEN has done a really nice job of focusing on our niche area and being true to that niche, focusing on the smaller emerging company. OEN is unique in that it serves a broader business community regardless of whether you’re in forest products or food products or technology or services.. We’ll serve a broader community, but we know what our mission is, and we know what’s core to that. To think that it primarily leverages volunteer efforts, they do one hell of a service to the Portland Metropolitan Area and to the State. The niche just isn’t served by anybody else, so, I think, that’s what makes them unique.”
Bob expects a great year for OEN and I am personally excited about Bob’s vision and the opportunity to be involved in this organization.