Amy Pietsch, director of the Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College, was named a Champion of Small Business by the SCORE Fox Cities chapter. The award coincided with SCORE’s celebration of Small Business Week and its 41 years of providing free business counseling to start up and existing businesses.

Pietsch has served as the director of the Venture Center since its inception in 2005. Her vision and leadership have helped launch and grow about 350 businesses while creating more than 1,000 jobs in the region. The successful E-seed^TM entrepreneur training experience has gained national attention by also being offered as a train-the-trainer program. Initiatives like the 1 Million Cups weekly community entrepreneur networking sessions and best practice collaborations with global entrepreneurs are other noteworthy elements of Pietsch’s distinguished honor.

Joining Pietsch with a Champion of Small Business accolade were Maureen Wallenfang of the Post-Crescent and Mike Dempsey of Bank First National Oshkosh.