Purdue Research Park, RAN ONE Americas partner to help entrepreneurs succeed
April 21, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Officials of Purdue Research Park and RAN ONE Americas announced Wednesday (April 21) a partnership that will help entrepreneurs accelerate the progress of their companies through intensive business diagnostic and consulting.
"We already offer an array of consulting services for companies in the Purdue Research Park's technology centers, but the partnership with RAN ONE Americas will enable us to use the proven business diagnostic approach to accelerate our work with them," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation, which manages the Purdue Research Park. "It will enable us to better guide entrepreneurs through the intricacies of owning and managing a startup by providing them with a more comprehensive approach in business strategy, marketing, finance and operations."
The diagnostic program is provided through the Purdue-RAN ONE Americas partnership at no cost to entrepreneurs in the Purdue Research Park's technology centers. Data gathered from the participating companies will be compiled and analyzed to assist entrepreneurs in the future.
"Most business owners have an expertise in a specific area or field, but they don't have the broad experience that is required to manage all the different aspects of a company," said Rick Solomon, CPA and CEO of RAN ONE Americas. "It can be a shock to someone who starts a business because they have developed a technology that they want to commercialize, and then they find out that much of their time is spent taking care of business like accounting, meeting with investors, the hiring process, setting up an office and marketing their product."
Joe Kitterman, founder of 180Skills LLC, went through the diagnostic process after moving into the Purdue Research Park at AmeriPlex-Indianapolis. 180Skills is a company that develops interactive online educational curriculums and course development for academic institutions.
"I have worked in business for several years, but I still learned so much from this process," Kitterman said. "Many of the tools provided are aspects that you just don't think about like how to gather business data, what is needed to put together a marketing plan and how to present before potential investors. The whole program was very helpful."
About RAN ONE
RAN ONE Americas (https://global.ranone.com/) provides software, online intelligence, training and network support for accounting and business advisory firms. Its diagnostic tools help companies navigate some of the most critical milestones for creating new business success: business planning, operational goals and objectives, marketing, managing people, and tracking performance.
About Purdue Research Park
The Purdue Research Park (https://www.purdueresearchpark.com) has the largest university-affiliated business incubation program in the country. There are four Purdue research parks in the state of Indiana. They are the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, Purdue Research Park at AmeriPlex-Indianapolis, Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana and the Purdue Research Park of Southeast Indiana. The nearly 200 companies located in the park network employ about 4,000 people. In 2004 the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette was named Outstanding Science/Research Park by the Association of University Research Parks.
Purdue Research Park media contact: Cynthia Sequin, 765-588-3340, casequin@prf.org
RAN ONE Americas media contact: Susan Hill, 775-338-7918, susanhillpr@att.net
Sources:
Joseph Hornett, 765-588-1039, jbhornett@prf.org
John Hanak, Purdue Research Park, 317-614-0793, jmhanak@prf.org
Rick Solomon, RAN ONE Americas, 800-806-8050, rick.solomon@ranone.com
