EntreprenOrrville Center for Business Innovation

The EntreprenOrrville Center for Business Innovation (ECBI), a Main Street Orrville initiative,  will develop Wayne County into a model community for entrepreneurial development by:

• Stimulating dreams to breed innovation;
• Providing resources to convert innovation into successful, sustainable organizations; and
• Communicating the value of these organizations, both inside and outside of Wayne County.

Currently, ECBI houses Orrville's entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR), Rodd Welker.  This innovative program is one of the first of its kind in Ohio.  Rodd is in Orrville to assist entrepreneurs take their businesses from idea to launch and to assist Orrville's existing businesses overcome any challenges they may face which keeps them from being competitive in the marketplace.  He does this through a knowledge of existing resources and through his own experience as a partner in Eagle Advisor Group.  

Orrville's EIR position is made possible through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Enterprise Grant program and our partner, Kent State University College of Business Administration and Kent's Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation.

In addition to housing the EIR, ECBI facilitates the EntreprenOrrville Apprentice Challenge and the ‘Dream Out Loud in Orrville” Entrepreneur Series.

“Dream Out Loud in Orrville” Entrepreneur series is a quarterly forum focusing on topics pertinent to today’s entrepreneurs.  The series launched on November 18, 2009 during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Upcoming forums will be listed in the calendar of events.