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Flagship, City of Anderson
support Anderson Business
Incubator
Ed McPherson moved his
multi-million dollar archery
equipment development and sales
business to Anderson despite
being courted by other states
and cities.
“Anderson was very aggressive in
their approach,” McPherson said.
“I was in Alabama before this
and we were having problems with
all the hurricanes.”
McPherson is one of two new
businesses now occupying the
Anderson Business Incubator that
was dedicated Thursday. The new
ABI, 700 Meridian St., also is
home to Dan Wehner, owner of ID
Graphics. The two companies
occupy 3,000 square feet of the
10,000-square-foot facility.
Wehner moved into the ABI after
operating a business out of his
home in the historic district on
10th Street for the past five
years.
 “The
incubator allows me to pursue
larger projects,” Wehner said.
“There are things I can take on
that I couldn’t do before.”
His business does everything
from silk screening T-shirts to
designing logos and embroidering
designs and logos on fabric.
[PHOTO:
]
The incubator will become part
of the partnership already
established between Anderson
University and the city of
Anderson. The staff from the
Flagship Enterprise Center (FEC)
along with the Society of
Retired Executives will assist
in managing the new incubator,
said Mayor Kevin Smith.
“It’s logical for the FEC
because they deal with requests
for space and the special needs
for businesses wanting to start
up,” Smith said.
Anyone with an idea can approach
the Flagship and if they are
technology based, they will
become part of the FEC. The ABI
is for a small business that is
less technology based and
doesn’t need the Interstate 69
location, said Chuck Staley,
Flagship president.
Anderson’s model for an
incubator is unique because it
combines the university and city
with help from SCORE, the
retired executives, said Jim
Ault, chairman of the board for
the FEC. Helping small business
is a key to economic growth.
“Last year it was 43 percent of
the companies with 50 or less
employees that were responsible
for growth,” Ault said. “The
Fortune 500 were flat.”
Entrepreneurs have a great
passion for what they believe
they can create and market, said
Art Patterson, executive
director of the FEC. Both at the
FEC and at the ABI, people are
there to help small business
develop business, financial and
market plans. The ABI will help
small businesses get started and
get them ready to be on their
own within three years.
For McPherson, the ABI creates a
friendly environment to design
new innovative archery
equipment. In 2005, his designs
swept all five categories of the
Archery Merchant’s Organizations
awards. He said that once he
gets into production, Ted Fiock
of Anderson Tool will be
producing $50 million worth of
parts for his business.
“Ted is cutting the best parts
that I’ve ever had cut,”
McPherson said of his 30 years
of design experience using
vendors. “If the city continues
to work with us as well as they
have, I can see bringing in 20
to 30 businesses from this arena
to the area.”
--Avon Waters writes on behalf
of the Anderson Herald Bulletin
(
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com
). Story reposted with
permission. |
