A LETTER FROM THE TEAM

So much has happened in The Crotty Center in a very short period of time. Not more than two years ago the space we call now home at the historic Dayton Arcade sat empty. Today, it is once again a vibrant space, in large part, due to the University of Dayton and Dayton’s Entrepreneurs’ Center coming together to form the Arcade Innovation Hub, and become the anchor tenant in a historic redevelopment project. After starting with 14-member companies in March 2021, we now have more than 130 companies housed at The Hub, and every week over 550 students from the University of Dayton and Sinclair Community College take classes there.

It was not that long ago that the Greater West Dayton Incubator was just an idea that developed from conversations between West Dayton Community Leaders and University of Dayton Leadership. In late 2021 we celebrated the launch of the first (albeit temporary) location for the GWDI in West Dayton. Since then, through the GWDI, we have launched myriad programs, like our Urban Elevation Accelerator, The Power Hour, the Business Blitz and bi-weekly Business Clinic. These programs have impacted more than 200 unique entrepreneurs from our community. Whether it is helping an entrepreneur establish their LLC, develop their marketing and growth plans, or find capital to fund their ideas, The GWDI’s impact has been nothing less than remarkable. More than $75,000 in microloans to local entrepreneurs, over 2,000 supervised student consulting hours to local businesses, and with the help of our supporters at Fifth-Third Bank, more than $40,000 in grants to local startups. The GWDI team has certainly hit the ground running and they have not looked back.

The Hub Powered by PNC Bank and the GWDI have had tremendous impact on our community, and our students. With more than 1,000 students involved in Crotty Center Experiential programs from all over UD’s campus, representing myriad academic majors, the center has become a great example of cross campus collaboration. Programs like our Stitt Scholars program in partnership with the UD School of Engineering, where student interns, paid by the university, are working on real world projects for Hub members and GWDI clients, are a perfect example of UD’s commitment to cross disciplinary, experiential learning, and how UD’s School of Business Administration is helping to lead the way in that effort. Another great example is the recently announced minor in Technical Entrepreneurship being housed in our School of Engineering with support from our College of Arts and Sciences and School of Business Administration.

Whether it is through Flyer Enterprises, one of the largest student-run businesses in the country at $2.7 million annually, Flyer Consulting where more than 70 students work with non-profits and small businesses through business consulting and micro-lending, Flyer Angels, where UD students are managing a $1 million Angel investment portfolio, Flyer Pitch, our Stitt Scholars, The Hub powered by PNC Bank or the GWDI, it is clear that the L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership has grown to be a significant student and community resource, and a valued partner in our regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Although the L. William Crotty Center is having significant impact on students from all over UD’s campus, and entrepreneurs in our region, we still aim to achieve more. It starts with the expansion of The Hub powered by PNC, just this month our 3rd Floor Rotunda expansion was completed, adding 46 new offices and a 100-seat classroom/event space. This expansion could increase the number of member companies in The Hub by almost 40%, and significantly increase student engagement. We also hope to increase our impact on community entrepreneurs through our efforts to find a permanent location for the Greater West Dayton Incubator. A move which will allow us to increase programming capacity aimed at West Dayton entrepreneurs and provide more student engagement opportunities. We will continue to strive to enhance and increase our experiential learning programs so that students from all across UD’s campus have an opportunity to explore their entrepreneurial dreams. We will do this by collaborating with our partners on campus and in the community, and we will continually strive to, in the words of our center’s founder, Bill Crotty, “be an incubator for the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

None of what has happened, or will happen, does so without help all of our supporters. From our key partners like PNC Bank, Dayton’s Entrepreneur’s Center and myriad others to all of our mentors, volunteers, judges and community entrepreneurs, everyone has an impact. On top of this we are very fortunate to have tremendous support from our Dean of the UD School of Business, Trevor Collier, our EVP of Business and Admin Services Andy Horner, our Provost, Paul Benson and President Eric Spina. This combination of campus and community resources is what has led to UD being named a top 50 school for undergraduate entrepreneurship for the 17th year in a row, and in the top 10 for schools with fewer than 10,000 undergraduate students for the first time this year. For all of this we are extremely grateful, the entire Crotty Center team, David, Kat, Ty, Whitney, Stephanie and I just want to thank all of you for supporting us in his effort as we continue to grow and develop as one of nation’s top entrepreneurship programs.

- Vince Lewis, AVP UD Entrepreneurial Initiatives