Meet Twinsburg’s New Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ken Alfred

The City of Twinsburg and Kent State University recently selected Ken Alfred for their new Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) initiative.

Alfred will advise and mentor new entrepreneurs and business start-ups by helping them find needed resources and funding.  For Kent State University, he will work with students in the entrepreneurship program by creating internships, research projects, and building real-world experience, in addition to helping interested graduates ground their businesses in Twinsburg.

The initiative’s goal is to connect new start-ups with scarce resources and funding, to students who can provide low-cost labor in exchange for real-world experience in order to create new economic development for the city.

 Alfred brings a lifetime of business experience to the residency and has done, “a variety of business development" and what [he] calls “intra-preneurial” roles, building businesses within a larger corporate environment. 

Over his career, Alfred has worked in marketing, planning, economic development for the Northeast Ohio region, as well as regulations and advocacy roles in energy and advanced energy sectors.

Additionally, Alfred earned an MBA in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Michigan, and held a non-profit executive management position with the Ohio Fuel Cells Coalition. Alfred believes that this experience is an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs of all kind.

Not only does Alfred bring his business experience to the EIR program, but he also brings his knowledge on the “impressive network of resources the region has created for entrepreneurs," he said.  For example, Jumpstart has created the Jumpstart Entrepreneurial Network and Alfred is a listed as a consultant.  Akron Global Business Accelerator provides incubator space equipped with offices, and support staff to help the entrepreneurs with problems and business plans.

When advising, Alfred looks for passion and confidence in entrepreneurs and the ability to communicate a business idea to investors, potential customers, and employees.

It’s critical, and they all need to know the entrepreneur is willing to go the extra mile to make the business a success. For example, the old adage explains, “a grade-A  person can take a grade-B idea and make a success of it, but a grade-B person can take a grade-A idea and not go anywhere with it.” Alfred explains it’s not just the product or idea that makes a start-up successful; it’s the person behind the business idea. 

Alfred said he finds this line of work enjoyable.

“It’s fun to hear people who have a passion for an idea or a business they would like to develop," he said. "Being passionate is very important for an entrepreneur. It can be an all-consuming type of lifestyle. You really have to like the idea and be passionate about it.”

The ultimate goal of the EIR program is to recognize "the entrepreneurial community as an important driver for economic development," he said. "Start-ups are the job creators and they wanted to bring more recourse to that community.” 

Alfred believes as the new EIR they will do just that, through his valued advice, experience, knowledge of resources, and words of wisdom.