IN PHOTO (from left): Kydrali Nazym, Jessica Meidl (Manager, The Grind), Ruslan Sameteyev, Eldana Frolova, Andrey Yemelin, and Dmitriy Korepanov

A group of Open World delegates from Kazakhstan are visiting Fox Valley Technical College for a weeklong immersion from March 9-17 to look at best practices in support of small and medium business development with the college’s Venture Center.

This is the fourth group of aspiring young entrepreneurs from abroad that FVTC has hosted in the past four years through its small business training center, the Venture Center, along with collaboration from the college’s Global Education department. The business professionals from Kazakhstan are exploring ways to build economic development and advance commerce as a post-Soviet nation located in central Asia. Agriculture and culinary arts represent two of the business ventures shared on behalf of the delegates during their visit.

In addition, the group met with members of the Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation and toured The Grind for a look at co-working space concepts. Members of the group were impressed by the collaborative setting and variety of businesses housed in the facility. Other experiences included a tour of FVTC’s Fab Lab, networking with attendees and a presentation at the weekly 1 Million Cups community entrepreneur event, a visit to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, brunch with Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, as well as various tours of local businesses.

Established in 1999 by Congress, the Open World Leadership Center conducts exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between emerging leaders around the globe and their U.S. counterparts. The program has enabled more than 27,000 current and future leaders to meaningfully engage and interact with Members of Congress and thousands of Americans over the years.