NCET: Volunteers stepping forward after funding and staff cuts

Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology says it's successfully making the transition to an all-volunteer organization after it lost much of its funding.

"My prediction is that NCET will come out of this as a stronger organization. We were a two-person organization before, and now we have a dedicated volunteer force of dozens," says Dave Archer, its president and chief executive. He now works as an unpaid full-time volunteer for the nonprofit organization.

NCET's two paid positions were eliminated after it lost federal funding. It also eliminated all contractors and most of its relationships with vendors.

The organization created in 1999 had relied on earmark funding supported by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid for nearly half of its operating budget. The approximate $200,000 in funding dried up as the result of a moratorium on federal earmarks.

Volunteers from the business community stepped forward quickly to take up the slack.

"It took days, rather than weeks or months, for the business community to volunteer their help and to donate their products and services," says Archer. "We had five board members before, and now we have nearly 20, along with an amazing group of volunteers on our marketing, Expo and Governor's Cup Committees."

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which funds the organization's Governor's Cup college business plan contest, has also increased its support of NCET's program for five additional years.

Along with the Governor's Cup, NCET programs include Entrepreneur Expo, Wi-Fi Wednesdays and Tech Wednesdays and small business bootcamps.

Along with Archer, NCET's board members include Chuck Alvey of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, David LaPlante of One to One Interactive and Frank Yoder of Advanced Information Systems, directors at large; Deb Armstrong of MediaEmpower Consulting Group and Michael Tragash of MediaTragash Marketing Events and Promotions, vice presidents of social media; Mike Bosma of The Bosma Group, vice president of sponsorships; Liz Christoffersen of Empower Consulting Group and Trish Ruby of Synergy Technology, vice presidents of bootcamps; Lori Denham of Denham Enterprises and Angie Fairbanks of ActionCoach, vice presidents of membership; Jarrod Lopiccolo of Noble Studios and Chad Hallert of Eldorado Hotel Casino, vice presidents of marketing; Jigar Patel of TrepSift, vice president of Wi-Fi/Tech Wednesday; Bill Saylor of J.A. Solari & Partners, vice president of finance; Abbi Whittaker of ABBI Public Relations, vice president of public relations and Palkin Zed of The Project Solution, vice president of grants.