How Grow Clinton's EntreFuel Is Sparking an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Grow Clinton created their EntreFuel initiative to meet a need the community had been expressing for years. As Matt Parbs, Vice President of Grow Clinton, explains, the idea behind Grow Clinton’s EntreFuel is simple:
"Everyone in business has a growth idea. Everyone not yet in business has a startup dream. Serial entrepreneurs are cursed with both.”
Without a nearby university or traditional entrepreneurial hub, local founders often felt they were building their businesses without enough support. “EntreFuel began because Clinton lacks a nearby university or traditional entrepreneurial hub that typically provides training, mentorship, and business development programs.”
To address that gap, Grow Clinton partnered with the
Rural Ideas Network, the Small Business Development Center, and local organizers to unify existing programs under one recognizable brand. As Parbs describes it, “We rebranded our regular coffee talks and anything related to business skills and business development to EntreFuel.”
Early on, this created some uncertainty about what fell under the EntreFuel umbrella, but the team used that to highlight the shared needs of new and existing businesses. “We leaned into that confusion to highlight the shared need for peer-to-peer mentorship and skill building for all entrepreneurs and businesses.”
As the program grew, it became clear that more hands-on support was needed. Grow Clinton partnered with NewBoCo and brought in Alex Taylor, Director of Entrepreneurship at NewBoCo, to provide direct assistance. “Alex is here on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month with open entrepreneurship hours. He is establishing a framework of activities and resources for our startups.” The latest phase of the program was launched on April 28, when the organization announced its regular schedule, startup weekend, student pitch opportunities, and long-term pitch contest for entrepreneurs.
Community engagement with EntreFuel has been strong. According to Parbs, “We are seeing people recognize the EntreFuel brand and attending because EntreFuel provides value.” Leadership Unlocked reached 151 unique participants, and more than 500 people have taken part in EntreFuel programming overall. The team is also seeing new ideas emerge. “We are seeing popups and boutiques and new ideas germinate.” Through NewBoCo’s early work, additional needs surfaced, such as a shortage of business-law services, prompting new recruitment efforts.
Building the program has come with challenges. One of the first was the need for more face‑to‑face guidance. “The demand for in-person meetings necessitated NewBoCo.” Another was helping business owners recognize they already had growth opportunities hidden within their operations. “With enough questions, we could unearth a growth idea.” EntreFuel also lacked a ready list of early‑stage professional service providers, though that network is now being built. Additional visibility came from community partners supporting Leadership Unlocked. As Parbs notes, this “helped bring great awareness to the brand."
Looking ahead, Grow Clinton is working with NewBoCo to build a long-term structure for entrepreneurship in the region. The goal is clear: “By self-sustaining, we want a small staff of 6 that covers events, membership, workforce, economic development, community development, and tourism to, in two years, have an ecosystem that is humming and self-replicating.”
At the same time, other projects are energizing the community. “We have a lot of interesting projects, none more than our art explosion in town.” Clinton is preparing for installations such as the Thomas Dambo trolls, new mural work, expanded arts districts, and additional creative programming downtown. Development continues in the Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park as well. "Lots of awesome stuff is happening in our Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park; and in 2026, we will have Super 8 Logistics and Atlas Roofing moving cars in the Railpark.”
For PDI members interested in learning more about EntreFuel or related efforts, the door is open. Contact Matt Parbs at
mparbs@growclinton.com or
217-414-8754.
