(Okoboji)– The Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute, or OEI, is next week, but it actually kicks off tomorrow (Fri.) with a reunion marking the 20th year for the event. Alumni events will run through the weekend. Curt Strouth is CEO of the Iowa Lakes Development Corporation, which puts on the event each year…
“There have been about 500 alumni that graduated OEI over the 20 years, so there will be about 50 that will be coming back. And then all of next week is when we will be actually hosting 32 students from across the state of Iowa including Iowa Lakes Community College, we’ll have a couple of students that will be participating. The cool thing about these students is they’ll be immersed in our region so they’ll be living with host families so they’re not going to be put up in motels, they’ll be living with host families and will experience what it’s like up here to want to live here, run a business and hopefully brand themselves so if they do ever want to run a business or maybe take over a business at some point, they are understanding what opportunities are here.”
He adds OEI has two main goals…
“The goal is to bring them here to start their business, but more importantly, if they don’t do it today, we all know how business succession is a key part of our community so if we have businesses who are looking maybe to sell, we’re able to put them in line with our alumni group to showcase that opportunity. So it really showcases or provides a really good pipeline of potential entrepreneurs here that can live here and work here.”
Students from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Dordt, Northwest Iowa Community College, Iowa Lakes Community College and Buena Vista University will participate in this year’s OEI.
