Bowling Green, Ky. - The entrepreneurs of tomorrow are being developed today at Western Kentucky University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

"Each of the things that we do is like planting a seed. You water the seed. You nurture it. And it comes to bear," said Dr. Leo Simpson, the Mattie Newman Ford Professor of Entrepreneurship. "If you plant enough different kinds of seeds, you soon have a garden. That is what we have now. We have a garden. Pretty soon we are going to have a ranch because every time we plant these seeds and these ideas, others get excited about it and they want to be a part of it."

Some of those ideas will be on display April 22 at an Entrepreneurship Expo at the Knicely Conference Center on WKU's South Campus.

"We are introducing the concept of having one day each year dedicated to entrepreneurship that is primarily focused on students and faculty, " said Raja Bhattacharya, director of the entrepreneurship center.

At the Expo, the morning's program will provide information on successful area entrepreneurs, corporate partners, venture capitalists and angel investors, while the afternoon's program will focus on a student business plan competition.

Students will submit ideas that have potential for commercial viability, Bhattacharya said.

"Most people don't realize that Bowling Green has a large pool of successful entrepreneurs who have developed successful businesses," Bhattacharya said.

By nurturing students and encouraging creative ideas, the center can boost economic development in the region, Dr. Simpson said.

Dr. Simpson and Bhattacharya expect the entrepreneurial program and the Expo to grow as more students and community leaders become involved.

"The essence of what we are trying to do is create the passion and the spirit of entrepreneurship across campus where students and faculty feel like they are being supported in their attempts to commercialize their ideas and in their attempts to engage students in the process," Dr. Simpson said.

The Entrepreneurship Expo is one of four major initiatives under way at the Center, which is located in Grise Hall, room 234. The others are:

* Small Business Institute. In this program, WKU seniors analyze an area company and write a professional consulting report. The program has won regional and national awards. Students have analyzed 45 companies in the Bowling Green region and have learned more about how the entrepreneurial world operates.

* Entrepreneurship Minor. More than 60 are already participating in the minor, which attracts campuswide interest from students in areas like agriculture, outdoor recreation, theater, corporate communications and engineering. The center has developed six courses in entrepreneurship that are being offered in five departments.

* Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). This student group works on community projects to help people understand the free enterprise system. The students are working with the Kelly Autism Program on a Christmas card program, with Bowling Green's international center on management issues and with area middle and high schools on business concepts. These projects also serve as the basis for regional and national competitions for the SIFE students.

For more about the center and the Entrepreneurship Expo, visit www.wku.edu/ec/

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Raja Bhattacharya at (270) 745-6864.