The Tallahassee Community College Center for Innovation is a place where students and professionals merge to discuss business ideas and possibly birth new businesses.
According to the executive director of the the TCC Center for Innovation, Scott Balog, the center is currently on the rise and looking to continue to offer educational programs for nonprofits and those interested in learning about organizations, business, startups and mentorship.
“Center for Innovation programs are educational and have helped thousands of people start, launch, and grow their nonprofit or for-profit businesses and organizations, and provide people with specific skill sets like the Institute for Nonprofit Innovation and Excellence (INIE)’s How to Write a Grant workshop,” said Balog.
One of the regularly held programs is the TCC spark’s startup/small mentoring event held from 6-8 p.m. the second Tuesday of most months. There is a $5 fee to attend and participants come to network and figure out the proper steps to take toward being an entrepreneur. The monthly event started earlier this year.
Usually, the mentoring events are capped to 20 participants so that leaders can offer quality personal and helpful advice.
On FAMU’s campus, there are students who are freshly being introduced to the center and its new programs. Sophomore pre-biomedical science major Arjada Johnson and sophomore psychology student Maya Wilks have been exposed to the center.
“I like to think of myself as a future businesswoman, outside of my work as a psychologist when I grow up,” said Wilks. “With this center, I think it would help me know what my first steps would have to be in order to have a successful business.”
“I wish more students knew about this because I know so many people on campus that want to be a part of the business world,” said Johnson. “Hopefully by word of mouth, the word gets spread so that we can all be successful together as students from FAMU.”
For more information regarding the TCC Center for information, be sure to visit their website www.tcc.fl.edu or visit it at 300 West Pensacola St.
For more information about the INIE, visit www.theinstitutefornonprofits.org.