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YrOlul NNE 1999•STAR TRIBUNE•PAGE 9
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<br /> Am Stanley,left,gets help from Mike and Maureen Gill In assembling one of his swimming pool heaters.Stanley's com-
<br /> pany,SolarAttic,makes and sells heating and ventilating systems and is downstairs from the Gills at the Genesis cen-
<br /> ter.Their business,Watermark LLC,makes underwater video cameras for use by swimming coaches.They also do
<br /> , engineering consulting.
<br /> By Roger Yu rangements. "promote the delivery of value-added services,"she .
<br /> Star Tribune Staff Writer Ideally,business incubators house a number of said.In the early'80s Campbell worked with one of
<br /> start-ups in one location—often an office park— the Twin Cities'first incubators and has since writ-
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<br /> Simon recently attended an to nurture them by"providing hands-on manage- ten numerous articles on the topic. •`a
<br /> p revening reception hosted by ment assistance,access to financing and orches- Some incubators are not content with a mere
<br /> li i`.'� n!'= ® those e and Sally Pillsburyin onor s, trated exposure to critical business or technical advisory role and are seeking equity stakes.Jacobs' ':
<br /> rysupport services,"according to the National Busi- Genesis Business Centers,a for-profit operation,is [.
<br /> Sheila Sisulu,the South African ness Incubator Association(NBIA). a highly profiled incubator that encourages the
<br /> ambassador to the United States. Many incubators claim to save entrepreneurs rapid"graduation"of its tenants.About 20 compa-
<br /> Simon,proprietor of a four-employee software precious cash by offering shared office services,ac- nies have graduated from the program,which is
<br /> start-up called Simon Industries Inc.,told George cess to equipment,flexible leases and expandable sponsored in part by Anoka Sherbourne County
<br /> Pillsbury and other guests of the goings-on in the space.In an enclosed space with people of common Capital Fund,a start-up fund run by Anoka County
<br /> energy industry,leading to a group discussion that interests and goals,the hoped-for result is a sharing Economic Development Partnership.In return for
<br /> piqued the ambassador's interest. of technical and operations expertise. equity stake,the Genesis start-ups,usually biomed-
<br /> Simon also boasted a little about his energy "There's something significantly different about ical companies,receive funding access and busi-
<br /> management software, which includes an ap- the path of each entrepreneur," said Candace ness services from the incubator."We've gotten so
<br /> plication that monitors valves in nuclear power Campbell,a principal of Minneapolis-based CDC much interest in the past years,"said Roger Jensen,
<br /> plants.Although he found an eager audience in the Associates,a management consulting firm,and a director of the fund."We probably get two calls a
<br /> ambassador and a deputy minister,Simon thought former NBIA chairwoman."But[incubator manag- day,about 10 companies a week."
<br /> little of the discussion when the night ended. ersi have business expertise,and their Rolodex— According to an NBIA study last year,there were i`-i,
<br /> Two weeks later,an embassy official contacted the contacts—help that business grow.That's what 587 business incubation programs in North Amer- 1
<br /> Simon,requesting a meeting on whether Simon's makes incubators effective." ica.Over the last 20 years,business incubators have i-"'
<br /> firm could help South Africa with its power distribu- created nearly 19,000 companies that are still in
<br /> tion. Value-added service business,and more important,about 245,000 jobs. ,"•'
<br /> Simon said he's not sure what,if anything,will In reality,though,many incubators resemble a
<br /> come of the meeting,but that he has Harlan Jacobs real estate arrangement in which an office park is Twin Cities legacy
<br /> to thank for it. occupied by tenants with little or nothing in com- The Twin Cities has a rich legacy in the incubator
<br /> It was Jacobs—a self-described"angel,junior mon,aside from their being entrepreneurs with big movement.Bill Norris,former CEO of Control Data
<br /> grade"—who passed along the party's invitation to dreams. Corp., championed the cause in the early'80s,
<br /> Simon. Incubator managers admit there are plenty of becoming one of the first to do so in the region.
<br /> About a year and a half ago,Simon submitted his skeptics—the bottom-line-oriented business folks The Ceridian Corp.predecessor built one of the :a
<br /> business plan to the Columbia Heights-based Gen- whose eyes glaze over when they hear terms like first incubators in the Mears Park area in St.Paul
<br /> esis Business Centers,a start-up"incubator"run by "incubation"and"hatching."The skeptics wonder and even sponsored training programs for incuba-
<br /> Jacobs.In early February this year,Simon Indus- whether such setups,though ambitious in outlook tor managers.Control Data Business and Technol-
<br /> tries'became the incubator's fourth tenant. and noble in goal,amount to little more than nurs- ogy Center,as it was called,was considered a model
<br /> "He's leading me to the water,and I'm taking a eries for start-ups with niche products and poor incubator and drew visitors who intended to repli-
<br /> big gulp,"Simon said of Jacobs. prospects,They wonder whether the much-touted tate its format. t j
<br /> Such access is one reason that fledgling entre- business support is no more than secretarial service
<br /> preneurs continue to look to incubators for inspira- that companies could get elsewhere at negligible INCUBATORS continues on page 10 x"
<br /> tion,though their effectiveness is debated and few expense.
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<br /> major successes have arisen from such ar- But Campbell is a believer.Business incubators s.
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