Post by Derrick C. Parker

After more than five years of building something special at the SSU Kricker Innovation Hub, my time there has come to a close. During this journey, I helped launch Ignite Portsmouth, a COVID-era initiative that grew to serve nine counties through a partnership with the ECDI Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia. Together, we supported over 100 business launches and expansions, catalyzing millions in investment across southern Ohio. Through ShawneeXP, our gaming accelerator, we welcomed 10 studios from across the country to Portsmouth. These teams built games, pitched to investors, and one—Mole Maiden—has already launched. We proved that rural communities can be hubs of creative and economic energy. Most importantly, we built an entrepreneurial ecosystem. From weekly coffee meetups to our speaker series, we created space for people to connect, dream, and build. We told the story of a town that needed to innovate—and showed that it could. This transition comes with the conclusion of federal grant funding through the EDA’s Build to Scale program. Like others before me, my role was tied to this funding, and unfortunately, it was not sustained beyond the grant period. These changes reflect broader challenges—particularly the reduction of support for rural innovation programs like EDA and ARC, which are vital to communities like ours. I’m deeply grateful to former Director David Kilroy, former program facilitator Joshua Lawson, former Regional Ecosystem Coordinator Clarissa Schauseil, ECDI WBC Director Kelly O'Bryant, the Center on Rural Innovation, Shawnee State University, and every partner, mentor, and entrepreneur who believed in this work. I remain a strong advocate for continued investment in rural innovation. As for what’s next—I continue to teach on campus and am actively exploring new opportunities. If you know of a role where I can keep building ecosystems, telling important stories, and driving innovation, please reach out—I’d love to connect. Thank you, Portsmouth, Ohio. Keep building something special.