Wade Steenhoek has been named Director of the Martin Heerema Entrepreneurship Program, a new position at Central College. Steenhoek will oversee Central’s new Martin Heerema Entrepreneurship Program, which began this fall.
The program is meant to create what Steenhoek calls an “entrepreneurial ecosystem” at Central. It will provide students with opportunities to take risks, manage the results and learn from the outcomes.
“At its core, entrepreneurship is about identifying a problem and solving it in a creative manner,” said Steenhoek. “An ability to do that effectively is valuable in any career.”
Steenhoek himself has had a long career in the business world. He was the vice president of operations at ARAG Insurance Company and managed his own firms, including the Iowa Leadership Academy in Ankeny. He also taught marketing, small business management and business strategies at Des Moines Area Community College. Steenhoek earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Simpson College and a master’s in adult learning and organizational performance, with a concentration in leadership, from Drake University.
As Director of the Martin Heerema Entrepreneurship Program, Steenhoek will teach entrepreneurship courses and work with students and faculty on innovative projects. He will work with the executive-in-residence, Rick Ryan, a 1970 Central graduate. (Read more about Ryan’s ideas on social entrepreneurship in Civitas.) Steenhoek will also collaborate with faculty and college administrators to form relationships with entrepreneurs and business-incubators in Pella and central Iowa to assist with local and regional projects and to develop opportunities for Central students.
“This position allows me to combine three of my passions: entrepreneurship, the energy of a college classroom and the creative problem-solving process,” said Steenhoek.
This position is one of several key components of the new Martin Heerema Entrepreneurship Program, including newly designed courses in entrepreneurship. Another feature is the development of experiential learning projects on campus, in central Iowa and around the world. Finally, Ryan, as executive-in-residence, will provide students with experienced leadership.
“Entrepreneurial skills and practices are applicable when creating any new venture — whether a business, a nonprofit entity or for social entrepreneurship. Students with these skills will benefit when starting their own ventures or operating within larger organizations,” said Ryan.
Steenhoek hopes the new program will not only prepare students for the global economy but make Central the premier Midwestern college for entrepreneurship.
“The placement of the program director is a strong positive statement,” said Ryan. “We can see that Central is dedicated to making entrepreneurship a core component of the student experience.”
