Kerrville’s Convener of the Entrepreneur & Investor Community: Katie Milton Jordan
Katie Milton Jordan, MBA, is Kerr Economic Development Corporation’s Director of Business Development, Entrepreneurship, & Talent. She’s also a Texas Venture Committee Member and a host of the Texas Venture Crawl in Kerrville.
Katie shared with us what ignited her passion for entrepreneurship, she talks about Texas’ first wine incubator, humbly mentions why KEDC took home an award at a recent conference for innovative strategy, the quality and rural lifestyle in Kerrville, and more below.
You’ve experienced such an adventurous career and in many diverse parts of the world, please share with us some career highlights and why they were special to you.
Buying my first business and becoming self employed in 2010 was definitely a career highlight that really ignited my passion for entrepreneurship.
Being able to live and work remotely (before that was “a thing”) for 12 years in 3 foreign countries was another highlight that really opened my eyes to what’s possible even if it might seem improbable.
The last several years have been very educational and accreditation heavy. I’m proud of the hard work and discipline I’ve invested in earning some important industry credentials as well as my Master’s in Business Administration, which was a bucket list goal of mine for a long time.
You're currently pulling together a great group of panelists for Kerrville’s Texas Venture Crawl and attracting a lot of attention from the investor and startup community! What are the opportunities for Kerrville they that Texas might not know about? What types of startups is Kerrville a really attractive place for?
Wow, that may be a tough question to answer because I believe Kerrville is a great place for so many startups for a variety of reasons. Top of mind though, I would propose that Kerrville is a great place for aviation and aerospace startups because of the remarkable development going on at our KERV. I’d also suggest greater Kerr County is a perfect place for startups that exist primarily in the cloud and want more of a rural atmosphere. Land here is more affordable than major cities in Texas yet were still 45 minutes from SATX and less than 2 hours from ATX. We also have an amazing business mentor community that wants to see these businesses succeed. For startups that are mindful of their money, it can go a long way here in Kerrville and the value is exceptional.
Kerr Economic Development Corporation has recently received an award, congratulations! Please tell us more about this and why do you think y’all have stood out amongst the rest?
Thank you. Yes, KEDC was recently recognized by the International Economic Development Corporation with a Gold Award in the Innovative Strategy Category for the approach we’ve taken to address child care challenges in our community. While I’m not sure what exactly caused the judges to select us as one of 81 gold recipients out of 580 applicants, my best guess is that it had to do with our speed to implementation and the key stakeholders we recruited to have a seat at the table.
If an entrepreneur is looking for the business community in Kerrville, what resources should they check out?
Kerrville is very fortunate to have a very active business community with lots of events and resources for business owners and start ups. Of course, I recommend the Kerredc.com website where we have a curated resources tab. The Kerrville Chamber of Commerce is another great resource to get plugged in to. If you’re new to Kerrville, I recommend applying for Leadership Kerr County also through the Chamber. And, we have many volunteer opportunities, service organizations, and special interest groups aimed at business owners such as Rotary, First Friday Wine Share, and The Women Who Run the Hill Country.
Any favorite wineries and restaurants the startup and venture community should know about when spending time in the region? Any big events to look forward to in the future?
Oh my, yes! Kerrville Hills Winery is a local winery that has recently partnered with Schreiner University on Texas' first wine business incubator. We are very proud of this program and very excited to see it mature. When you’re in town, definitely make time to enjoy some Kerrville Hills Wine featured at our venture crawl event or at their vineyard and tasting room on highway 16.
What do you think are the opportunities for Texas’ future that you look forward to, and how will or how does Kerrville fit into that?
Kerr county is poised for so much success in the future and I see Kerrville playing a leading role. There’s a lot to be excited about – from the overflow of urbanites seeking a more quality, rural lifestyle, without compromising convenience or amenities, to the I-10 corridor improvements, there’s a lot to love here.
View more about Katie Milton Jordan on her Texas Venture membership page here.