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BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – July/August 2014
By Tom Schuman
PARKER’S
POINTERS
Entrepreneur Shares Career Insights
Kent Parker’s story is not unique. He grew up in Indiana (a sixth-
generation Hoosier in Gibson County), attended school here (the
University of Evansville with a 1983 degree in mechanical engineering)
and began his working life (three years with United Technologies
Corporation) in Indianapolis.
Parker returned (with a home in New Harmony and numerous business and civic involvements)
years later after a highly successful career that included key roles at Caribou Coffee in Minneapolis
and Ariba (a software and information technology firm) in Sunnyvale, California. The entrepreneur
and investor admits, “I never once considered after I left Indiana in 1985 that I would come
back here to try and make a living. It just never crossed my mind.”
But Parker is back now. He discussed creating a Dynamic and Creative Culture at the
Indiana Chamber’s
Indiana Vision 2025
forum in Evansville in December 2013 and in this recent
interview with
BizVoice
.
BizVoice
: You mentioned in Evansville that people are the most important
factor for growing successful businesses. Does Indiana have enough people –
entrepreneurs, members of the workforce?
Kent Parker: “I think there are. Entrepreneurism is locally driven. It requires an entrepreneurial
community; within that community, there are layers of people and their roles. When we started
Caribou Coffee, the managers and employees
we hired – not classic entrepreneurs, but
people with skills who were interested in this
new kind of activity, new kind of company
and the excitement around that.
“What makes an entrepreneurial venture
successful is the ability to attract the people
who are motivated to have the kind of career
experience that truly is much different than
working in a larger company or long-established
company. You need this entire ecosystem.”
BV: Howmuch better are the chances
today for someone looking to start
their entrepreneurial career in Indiana?
KP: “At the macro level, it’s clearly
become easier and continues to get easier for
people to pursue entrepreneurial ideas and
efforts on a number of fronts. I truly don’t
believe that the biggest issue for most
entrepreneurs is raising money. It’s a big
issue, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think
