Enterprise Center of Johnson County

ECJC History

January 1989 - Incubator Task Force Formed

The Enterprise Center of Johnson County is the result of the vision, commitment and collaboration of greater Kansas City’s most respected civic and business leaders. In January 1989, Johnson County Community College President, Charles Carlsen, convened a Business Incubator Task Force (the Task Force) to study the feasibility and impact of developing a Business Incubator in Johnson County. President Carlsen invited a wide range of leadership to participate in the Task Force, including representatives from entrepreneurial ventures, state, county and local government organizations, economic development, banking and venture capital, law firms and the business community.

Business Incubator Task Force Members

Ben Craig (Chairman)	Jake Bayer	Rich Bendis
Mary Birch	Mike Brown	William Brundage
Kevin Carr	E.H. Denton	Greg Foss
Dian Hajicek	Dr. John Hancock	John Houlihan
Steve Jack	Phil Kline	Roger Kroh
Jack LeClaire	Johanna Lingle	Bob Lytle
Larry McAulay	John McDonald	Dennis McKee
Ron Mittag	Harland Priddle	Richard Russell
Jeff Seybert	Sue Weltner	Hugh Zimmer

The Task Force was charged with addressing three key questions:

Is Johnson County an appropriate location for a business incubator?
Would a business incubator be an effective tool in Johnson County’s comprehensive economic development program?
Would a business incubator provide an adequate economic return on the public investment necessary to support such an operation?

The Task Force concluded that a properly funded, well-managed, technology-oriented business incubator can have a positive impact on economic development in Johnson County.

A cost/benefit analysis, commissioned by the Task Force and performed by CERI Inc., concluded a successful incubator would require sustained public support. The analysis projected that, during its first 10 years of operation, the incubator would graduate 35 firms, create nearly 900 jobs, and produce a realized return on County investment of 18%.

Based on this analysis and other considerations, the Task Force requested that the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners approve funding in the amount of $359,600 for FY1995 to launch an incubator, with the understanding that continued County support would be required for a period of time.

December 1994 - JoCo Business Tech Center (JCTBC) launched in Southlake Business Park

The incubator was incorporated and registered in Kansas as a non-profit corporation under the name “JoCo Business TechCenter” (“JCBTC”) in December 1994. Fifteen Directors were elected to serve on the initial JCBTC Board. JCBTC officially opened operations in January, 1995 at the Southlake Business Park under the management of Tech Industry Consultants led by Ivan Smith.

March 1996 - JCTBC moved to 9875 Widmer Lane

In March of 1996, the JCTBC relocated to a facility near 95^th and Lackman that had been vacated by the rapidly growing global GPS firm, Garmin International, Inc. (www.garmin.com)

July 1998 - Kessinger Consulting Associates hired to manage JCBTC

In July, 1998, Kessinger Consulting Associates (KCA) was appointed to manage JCBTC. KCA managed ECJC until May, 2005, during which time ECJC achieved significant growth and success.

February 1999 - JCTBC renamed ECJC

In February, 1999, JCBTC’s name was changed to the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, Inc. (ECJC). ECJC also assumed management of Prairie Investment for Technology Advancement, LLC (PITA), one of eight for-profit seed capital companies in Kansas funded by the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC). The fund provided limited early-stage, equity risk capital to technology-based ventures with the potential for high growth and significant returns on investment. The funds were not limited to companies based in Johnson County. All funds were expended by 2003 and the Fund management was returned to KTEC in July, 2007.

April 2000 - Bi-State Investment Group (BIG) formed

Recognizing that access to capital was a critical element of success for the ECJC and its clients, the Bi-State Investment Group, LLC (BIG) was established in April, 2000. Under the leadership of Kessinger Consulting Associates and with the assistance of the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, BIG was launched with 58 units sold ($2.9M total fund) and more than 70 members. KCA administered BIG, which held many of its committee meetings at the ECJC, providing the incubator and its clients with visibility within the entrepreneurial and angel communities.

July 2000 - Kansas Women’s Business Center (KWBC) formed

ECJC began operating the Kansas Women’s Business Center (KWBC) in July, 2000. In early 2000, U.S. Representative Dennis Moore asked the ECJC to submit a proposal to the US Small Business Administration for a Women’s Business Center (WBC). At the time, Kansas was one of only three states that did not have a WBC. The WBC mission offered a different but complimentary component of the ECJC mission. The ECJC's clientele of high-growth companies were largely led by men. The KWBC’s mission to focus on women complements the ECJC’s high-tech, high-growth services and centralizes a comprehensive range of services to women entrepreneurs within Johnson County. A primary caveat of pursuing the opportunity was that the ECJC remain focused on its primary mission. An ECJC board member, Sandy Licata, agreed to assist in the proposal process and to become the first Executive Director. The ECJC’s proposal was one of eight accepted by the SBA, out of a nationwide respondent pool of eighty-one proposals. In June, 2004, Sherry Turner replaced Sandy as Executive Director of the KWBC.

November 2002 - ECJC moved to 8527 Bluejacket Street, Lenexa

In November, 2002, ECJC moved to its current location at 8527 Bluejacket Street, Lenexa. After nearly 7 years at its previous location, the ECJC considered options available upon the expiration of its lease at 9875 Widmer Road. Over forty locations were considered, with four, including the Widmer site, selected as finalists. After careful consideration and negotiations, the 22,000 square feet facility at 8527 Bluejacket was selected and a 5 year lease was executed. The new location and space provides the ECJC and its clients with a better location, better visibility in the business community, and an updated environment with a more economical floor plan. Numerous community organizations, individuals, and corporations contributed over $100,000 to make the move possible. ECJC’s current lease extends until December, 2009.

May 2005 - Dr. Joel Wiggins hired as ECJC CEO

KCA dissolved its relation with the ECJC Board in May, 2005, when its principal, Joe Kessinger, left to become the COO of Innovia Medical, one of ECJC’s promising tenants. The Board conducted a nationwide search and invited Dr. Joel Wiggins to become its new President and CEO. Dr. Wiggins had been the Executive Director of the Austin Technology Incubator at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Wiggins officially assumed the helm at ECJC June 20, 2005. Wiggins has been on the board of directors of the 1,700-member National Business Incubation Association since 2002 and he also served as the Board Chair.

March 2006 - Mid-America Angels (MAA) network created

With the generous assistance of the Kauffman Foundation and the Angel Capital Association, MAA officially launched March 28, 2006. MAA is a network of accredited angel investors in the Greater Kansas City area devoted to sourcing and funding qualified business opportunities. The network is managed by ECJC and the Lawrence Regional Technology Corporation. Since its inception, MAA has made 17 investments in 12 companies totaling approximately $3.8M.