Written by David Terry, Director of Entrepreneurial Outreach for the WT Enterprise Center.
On September 1, I assumed a new role with the Enterprise Center so that I could have flexibility to teach and to pursue other entrepreneurial aspirations. As I step away from the administrative responsibilities of the Enterprise Center, I will still have an active role as Director of Entrepreneurial Outreach. This means that each week, I will meet with community leaders, stakeholders, referral partners and entrepreneurs, I will continue to support the staff of the Enterprise Center and I will continue to support clients through strategic coaching.
This new role will also have a greater emphasis on the academic side of the house through entrepreneurial studies at WT. In the last several years, I started teaching New Venture Creation in the fall semester and Entrepreneur Process & Launch in the spring semester. Emerging from each of these courses is a group of student entrepreneurs bound for greatness as they acquire entrepreneurial skills and start new companies.
For the Enterprise Center, naming Jeff Reid as the Executive Director is a position of strength. Jeff was one of the first team members I hired in 2007. He was hired as Associate Director and transitioned to Incubator Director in 2012. He has been responsible for the daily operations of the incubator facility and client services, establishing policies and procedures, adding team members, coaching entrepreneurial clients, establishing strategic initiatives and helping us to maintain our focus on results. In his role as Incubator Director, he had direct impact on the team, the financial stability and the results of the Enterprise Center that have given us international recognition. With a strong background in construction, Jeff has led our 8 previous expansion projects. One immediate task is the completion of the 8,000 SF expansion project for which he is uniquely qualified.
While there are a multitude of administrative functions that need to be done, Jeff will be an efficient and effective leader of his highly qualified and capable team. The Enterprise Center will continue to operate with excellence in helping people build great companies.
This is an interesting season of my life. As I’m writing this, my daughter just left for college. My wife and I are now empty nesters. It’s a time of transition but an important parallel. For our children to grow and develop, we must let them go. In the same way, it’s healthy for a business to experience transitions in leadership.
As the co-founder of the Enterprise Center, it’s now time to let it go. It gives me great pleasure to know that the Enterprise Center is in great hands and surrounded by such a tremendously supportive community. Jeff Reid is a seasoned incubation professional, a trusted leader, adviser, coach, and friend. We’ve made a lot of progress in the last 15 years. We’ve built a foundation for success. What we have done is important, and what they are destined to do will be exponential.
