Conferences

  		 
Summary of USASBE 14th Annual Meeting (1999) in San Diego, California

by Lynn Neeley, President

The 14th annual conference of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), held in San Diego on January 14-17, was a great success. Three hundred and seventy-five (375) participants from across the U.S. and around the world discussed pedagogical issues, studied model programs at the bachelors through the doctoral levels, explored intriguing research questions, and enjoyed excellent speakers and panelists. For a listing of competitive papers, symposia, and workshops, please see www.usasbe.org. Plenary speakers were Karl Vesper of the University of Washington, Hattie Bryant of Small Business 2000, and Leslie S. Shapiro of Padgett Business Services Foundation.

Other conference-wide forums featured representatives from foundations that regularly support entrepreneurial and small business advancement, education, and research. Persons from The Coleman Foundation, The Kauffman Center, and The Lowe Foundation were on hand to discuss strategies for successful grant and project funding. Follow-up "Talk to ..." times were scheduled immediately after the plenary and luncheon sessions to allow attendees to pursue more in-depth discussions with each of these speakers.

One set of awards recognized outstanding contributions in teaching, pedagogical innovation, and program design. The 1999 USASBE Entrepreneurship Educator of the year is Fred Kiesner from Loyola Marymount University. The two finalists for the Pedagogy Innovation of the Year Award were James Fiet of University of the Pacific and Gary Cadenhead of University of Texas at Austin; and the winner, Gary Cadenhead. The two finalists for the 1999 Model Ph.D. Program Award were University of Maryland and University of Pittsburgh; and the winner, University of Pittsburgh. The two finalists for the 1999 Model MBA Program Award were San Diego State University and University of Texas at Austin; and the winner, San Diego State University. The two finalists for the 1999 Model Undergraduate Program Award were University of Southern California and University of St. Thomas; and the winner, University of St. Thomas.

Several awards recognized excellence in research and in workshops. The Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice Best Conceptual Paper Award was presented to Bob Kolodinsky and Paul Simmonds of Florida State University for their paper "The Founder Performance Relationship: Experience-Relate Antecedents and Moderators of New Venture Performance." The Coleman Foundation Best Empirical Paper Award was presented to Leonard Love and Jeffrey McGee of the University of Texas at Arlington for their paper "Distinctive Competencies and Competitive Advantage: A Study of Small Independent Retailers." The National Business Association gave Best Workshop Awards for three top performers. First place went to Stephen Wheeler, James Fiet, and George Violette for "Accounting for Entrepreneurs;" second place to Michael Meeks, Charles Hofer, Robert Carton, Scott Kunkel, and Kenneth Robinson for "Research Using IPOs;" and third place to Don Bradley III, John Bulloch, and Jim Rapino for "Virtual University."

Congratulations are in order for Scott Kunkel, Jon Richards, Chuck Hofer, and Mike Meeks for their hard work and great innovations that were part of the USASBE 1999 Conference. And great thanks are due to people who worked very diligently behind the scenes: George Solomon, Joan Gillman, and Jean von Allmen.

I hope to see all of you next year at the USASBE 15th Annual National Conference in San Antonio, February 16 through 20. Please contact Dr. Joan Winn, Program Chair, for further information about the San Antonio conference. ( F 303-871-2294; e-mail: jwinn@du.edu)

For information on purchasing additional copies of the USASBE 1999 Conference Proceedings, contact USASBE Executive Director Joan Gillman. (P 608-262-9982; F 608-263-0818)