Background

The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development, Inc., (CESD), was created in 1981. We are a nonprofit organization affiliated with West Virginia University (WVU). The nonprofit exempt purpose of CESD is to promote advancement of education, research, and economic development including reducing the burden of government.

When we began, our projects focused primarily on improving productivity in manufacturing organizations and providing managerial and technical support to new businesses in West Virginia. Since then, our focus has broadened to include bordering states, and we have expanded our support to virtually every type of organization in the region. The types of projects we support have also become more diverse as CESD continually adds to our available tools. By focusing on real problems faced by employers in the state and the region, we are making tangible improvements to businesses that contribute to West Virginia’s economy and our people.

A Note on Our Name

Our name often confuses those who are not familiar with our background. We view the word entrepreneurial in the broadest context. We see an entrepreneur as someone who initiates and sustains purposeful change: a new business, a new business practice, a new way of thinking, or a variety of other change opportunities.

We value purposeful change and innovation. We continually search for new approaches to basic organizational needs. We were founded on the premise that innovation is critical to the long-term success of any organization, whether public or private, large or small. We also believe that educational institutions have a responsibility to support the needs for innovation in society.

We support innovation in several ways. One is to bring together people from different backgrounds and disciplines. Common understandings in one area frequently lead to new insights in others. Another is to test basic research ideas in applied settings. Such tests often lead to the discovery of new concepts and theories, as well as provide direction for valuable new research. Finally, we help remove organizational barriers to innovation. Nothing should stand in the way of creating work environments that foster and support innovation.