The entrepreneurial culture enables its residents to take action on their entrepreneurial interests more willingly and more effectively. Prof. Lynnette Claire has created the Tacoma Entrepreneur Network (TEN) across the University of Puget Sound, the University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University, and Evergreen State Tacoma's first step in helping Tacoma become more entrepreneurial. This work has been generously supported by the Herbert B. Jones Foundation and the University of Puget Sound.

TEN features four major events that involve prizes each year:

  • Innovate! Create!
    • one-day collaborative team competition
    • open to Tacoma college students
    • October
  • Plan to Change the World
    • competition for innovative ventures that meet social and/or environmental needs
    • open to Tacoma college students
    • November
  • Elevator Pitch Competition
    • 3-minute pitches about entrepreneurial ventures
    • open to Tacoma college students
    • March
  • Business Plan Competition
    • three categories of competition: financial, environmental, and social
    • open to all Washington college students
    • features a Moving Forward Dinner for winners and judges, and investors
    • April

Additionally, TEN features many Dine with an Entrepreneur event each term; these are opportunities for students to gather in small groups (less than four) with local entrepreneurs to hear their stories, ask questions, and receive advice. Every term, an Entrepreneur in Residence gives talks, shares meals, and meets with students on campus. Movie and TED Talk nights and student-initiated events also take place on campus. Additionally, there are opportunities to attend other local entrepreneurship events such as the South Sound Entrepreneur Weekend and the UW Business Plan Competition.

www.TacomaEnts.org

The Civic Scholarship Initiative also supports student research that benefits local organizations through Strategic Management and Consulting (BUS482). In teams of three, students work with local businesses and non-profits as consultants to create effective strategies. A strategy is a theory about creating a competitive advantage, and the students base their strategic recommendations upon solid research. The strategic recommendations are accompanied by implementation plans and methods to assess the effectiveness of the strategy.