Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 1 of The Illinois Commitment
Promoting Economic Development in Rural Southern Illinois Through Small Business Incubation
Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice?
The southern half of the state lags behind much of the rest of the state and nation in the creation of new
enterprises. In Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, an important aspiration is to
enhance economic development in the region through research and scholarship. The SIUC Small Business
Incubator is one way that the University serves as an engine for regional economic development. Housed in the
Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center on campus, the mission of the Small Business Incubator is to
accelerate the start-up and expansion efforts of small businesses in southern Illinois. Such new businesses will
help alleviate the chronic low rate of job creation in the region.
Description of the effective practice:
The Small Business Incubator, through the SIUC Office of Economic and Regional Development, provides
University faculty and staff as well as entrepreneurs in the region with access to a wide range of enterprise and
business-development services. The incubator facility provides access to wet laboratory, light industrial, and
office space. This facility and program provides the flexibility and direct technical support to assist those startup
and expanding companies at a crucial stage with their business development. Additionally, strategic partners
are located in the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center to provide technology transfer, business plan
development, assistance in locating pre-seed and early-stage financing, and a host of other services to emerging
companies. Those partners include the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center, SIUC Small Business
Development Center, SouthernTECH Illinois Technology Enterprise Center, and Southern Illinois Research
Park.
How does this practice achieve sustainability?
The SIUC Small Business Incubator has been in existence since 1991. Over 60 entities have been assisted in
starting or expanding their operation since the program’s inception. Sustainability has been achieved by
collected modest rents from tenants, maintaining strategic partnerships with other business assistance providers,
and being responsive to changing business needs. According to statistics provided by the National Business
Incubation Association, only 20 percent of new businesses succeed. However, 80 percent of businesses started
in a small business incubator succeed! The incubator program has given a jump-start to many southern Illinois
businesses.
What are the results/measurable outcomes?
Development of Southern Illinois Research Park has allowed a number of the incubator clients to graduate into a
permanent facility. Since January 2006, five new businesses have been accepted into the incubator. In addition
to SIUC, 16 tenants are now located in the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center. Further growth of
the incubator program will accelerate growth with the entire research park and the region.
Contact Information
Name: Kyle Harfst
Email: harfst@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 453-3427
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