At the 2012 State of Entrepreneurship Address, held February 9, 2012, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation interim president and CEO Benno C. Schmidt, along with National Governors Association (NGA) leaders Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman and Delaware Governor Jack Markell, called for state and local government policy changes to foster entrepreneurship and accelerate economic growth. During the third annual address, titled "A Roadmap for State Growth," Schmidt focused on reducing state and local legal and regulatory barriers to startups and young companies, which play a significant role in U.S. new job creation.
In conjunction with the address, the Foundation released two reports: "State Startup Act," which lays out an agenda for state-level policymakers to foster entrepreneurship, and "License to Grow," which showcases barriers to entrepreneurship imposed by state and local governments.
The State of Entrepreneurship event, held at the National Press Club in Washington, included remarks from Governor Heineman, chairman of the NGA, and convened a panel that included Heineman; Governor Markell, NGA vice-chair; Bill Aulet, managing director of the Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship; and Morris Kleiner, University of Minnesota professor and expert on occupational licensing issues.
