Rural Entrepreneurial Venture

Montgomery is part of the second “Cohort” of the Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV) program sponsored by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and supported by the Blandin Foundation, Region Nine Development Commission, and the University of Minnesota Extension.

The intention of the program has been to find and ignite existing entrepreneurs in our community by adopting a “grow your own” approach to business development, helping create a more vibrant community by growing from within. This program is modeled after the very successful e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems framework hosted by Network Kansas, formerly the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

The program has focused on a range of groups, from business startups to existing businesses that want to grow and worked to encourage youth to remain or return to the community.  Some of the activities the group has completed include providing small business workshops, conducting a Civic Summit to bring our different civic groups together, work with TCU to support their STEAM Initiative, and conduct one-on-one interviews and focus groups with our local businesses. 

As the program approaches the end of its three years, the REV group is transitioning to a subcommittee of the Economic Development Authority in order to continue the ideas, programs, and initiatives it started and continue to work to assist the area businesses and entrepreneurs.  Click here to see the results of the one-on-one interviews conducted by the team with local businesses and entrepreneurs.