(1888PressRelease)
August 06, 2008 - Raleigh, NC. Greg Fawcett, the Executive Vice President of Marketing Depot USA, located in the Business Networking Center (BNC) of Cary, N. C. has agreed to lead a new business support network designed to spur innovation in the RTP region of North Carolina.
“My past experience in helping entrepreneurs implement marketing and sales distribution strategies designed to match innovation to new users tells me that this aspect of business planning is sometimes overlooked by startup firms,” said Fawcett. “I also like the idea of strengthening the marketing plans of existing small manufacturers who are engaged in new product development because it raises the acquisition value of the company.”
Fawcett’s new business support group is called the RTP Entrepreneur Support Network at the BNC. Registration for the new group is available at MeetUp.Com.
Fawcett’s support group is one of four new business networks recently created to boost economic activity in the RTP regional economy by stimulating technology innovation. “We are trying to put together the pieces of a new type of private sector initiative for a regional economic development strategy called innovation economics,” said Tom Vass, the organizer of the RTP Tech Event @ Goodnight’s, one of the 4 new groups.
“My research on the American economy indicates that our rates of innovation are way too low, and that much of the American technological innovation capacity has been outsourced,” Vass added. “Our best remaining innovation asset is the existing base of small manufacturing enterprises, but even if we are successful today in stimulating innovation in the existing RTP manufacturing value chains, it would take about 3 years before the increase in jobs would be noticeable.”
“We are way behind the economic growth eight ball in helping our small manufacturing community with innovation in new products,” said Vass. “The larger corporations have already moved their product innovation operations offshore, and our regional economy is in economic jeopardy of losing an entire generation of innovation potential if the existing small manufacturers lock their doors, turn out the lights, and go out of business,” he added.
The other support groups for innovation are the RTP Product Development Guild, which helps companies rapidly commercialize new product ideas, and the RTP Inventor’s Guild, which provides professional guidance on high tech business ideas that require intellectual property protection.
Part of the new innovation economic strategy is to brainstorm new product development ideas and part of it is to increase the amount of business that local firms do with each other as a result of home-grown innovation, said Vass.
Fawcett said his new support group will offer a full array of seminars and classes, along with group peer support meetings to help both entrepreneurs and existing small manufacturers reach new markets and do more business. “Our regional economy has a network of great sales and marketing consultants who I hope to call on to help teach many of our classes,” he said.
About the Marketing Depot USA and The BNC Center of Cary.
The BNC Center is located at 649 Walnut Street in Cary, N. C. and serves as a regional meeting facility for local business networking and business training in sales and marketing. Please contact us to book your next business networking event. The Marketing Depot USA is the professional service provider for sales and marketing services, including a full service printing capability and business marketing advice. 919 342 0833 www.marketingdepotusa.com
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