Fact: Regions with a healthy economy and high level of prosperity foster a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial environment.

In turn, this energizes local and outside entrepreneurs to create new enterprises that fuel the local economy even more.

AdvantageWest developed the first program in the country to certify communities as "entrepreneur-ready." The Certified Entrepreneurial Community Program^{>® (CEC) is designed to help municipalities ensure that the business climate, policies, resources and opportunities for entrepreneurs are strong – in short, creating "communities of opportunity."}

The CEC Program consists of a rigorous five-step process that includes assessing the community's current entrepreneurial landscape, creating a comprehensive strategy for entrepreneurial growth, marshaling the community's entrepreneurial resources, and identifying and nurturing the community's most promising entrepreneurial talents. To learn more about the CEC program and how to make entrepreneurism a focus of your economic development strategy, contact Pam Lewis, Senior VP of Entrepreneurial Development.