Sen. Tim Kaine meets with Roanoke entrepreneurs
About 20 entrepreneurs sat around the conference table at the Grandin CoLab on Friday, each sharing the trials and errors of starting their own business, as Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., sat at the head of the table listening intently.
The senator stopped at the newly founded co-working space during his visit to Roanoke, where he got to see first-hand the increasing small business and young professional network in the valley.
CoLab opened in March and now has more than 40 members who run businesses in the space, ranging from fashion blogs to sustainable local food programs to a commercial cleaning business. Its goal is to unite like-minded workers with the resources and mentoring necessary to run a successful venture.
“Roanoke is a really humble community, and we’re not so great at bragging,” said CoLab manager Samantha Steidle. “Senator Kaine making an effort to be a part of this will help more politicians understand that entrepreneurship really does affect jobs.”
As the group spoke to the senator, they voiced concerns with the technological infrastructure in the area — specifically citing the need for fiber optic cable access, which they emphasized would benefit small businesses.
“It’s hard for me to be in Roanoke where there isn’t the connection I need,” said Josh Wilson, who owns a multimedia production company and needs to upload and transmit large files that basic WiFi can’t handle.
Kaine touted the fact that Virginia is one of the most welcoming states for larger corporations, but there are always things in the STEM field to improve on, specifically in educational curricula.
“There’s a lot of things we can do [to improve], but the most important thing we can do is in the workforce area. We need to be more focused on technology training earlier in school,” Kaine said. By adding computer science classes and vocational training, Kaine said Virginia can continue to build a workforce that is technologically coordinated.
The diverse group of business owners emphasized that while starting their own business may present challenges, at the end of the day being their own boss is the most rewarding part.
“I think that schools and universities need to teach entrepreneurship to students that have the potential to create their own enterprises,” said Elizabeth Echevarria, a former microbiologist who is preparing to move to New York City to start her fashion stylist career.
“Not only are these entrepreneurs doing interesting things, but they want to be their own boss because they have that creative sense,” Kaine said.
Kaine also made a stop Friday morning at the 23rd Judicial Circuit’s drug court graduation ceremony in Salem, and he was slated to throw out the first pitch at Friday night’s Salem Red Sox game.
###