Located in Council Bluffs on the Iowa Western Community College campus, The Port (www.BeITWise.com) is a new workspace for aspiring entrepreneurs and innovative students which also provides support and business development resources to seasoned and new start-ups. Jill Willard is the liaison located onsite at The Port at Iowa Western Community College.
Tell us a little about your business. – The Port at Iowa Western is funded by a Department of Labor grant and opened in July 2014. We are the Entrepreneurial Center on campus, and work to make sure we are supporting start-up businesses by providing affordable workspace and a network of professionals available to assist them. We work with the Computer Information Technology programs to ensure students are meeting their internship requirements, and work with local businesses to appropriately pair our students with their internship opportunities.
How did you get started in the business? – I joined the team in November 2014 and have hit the ground running. I was with the college as an Enrollment Advisor / Veterans Specialist previously, so I had a base knowledge of the students. I work hard at making connections in the community, but had a lot of help from our team members in that area.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Joining the team after the grant had been in place was a bit of a challenge. I really felt like I needed to catch up with the others in terms of learning the grant initiatives while making meaningful connections in the community and on campus.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Putting together the 2015 CIT Career Fair this April has been a large project with a lot of planning and a real impact for students. This brought internship and employment opportunities to students from 25 major companies in the area.
Tell us a little about your family. – I’ve been married to my husband, Matt, for 8 years and we have two kiddos. My son, Cole, loves school and is playing as many sports as he can this year. He can light the room up with a well-timed joke like any good pro. My daughter, Emerson, is such a charmer. She learns a lot from watching her older brother and it never ceases to amaze me how big their personalities are at such young ages!
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I love to spend time with my family on the weekends, going for walks or out to our family cabin in Nebraska, or anything we can do to enjoy the beautiful weather outside is perfect. We also enjoy a movie night each weekend, complete with pajamas and popcorn.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – Before I worked at Iowa Western, I worked with adolescents who struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues with Alegent. My undergrad is actually in Criminal Justice with minors in Psychology and Sociology.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – I would love to enjoy a meal with Audrey Hepburn. She knew how to enjoy life and always helped others do the same. I would love to ask her about her time in ballet as well as her time as a Goodwill Ambassador.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – I can be contacted at Iowa Western at (712) 256-7941 or at jwillard@iwcc.edu. You can also log on to our website at www.BeITWise.com for information about The Port!