SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) welcomes Doug Erwin as the new Vice President for Entrepreneurial Development. Erwin begins in his new position, working to coordinate the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Northern Nevada as well as collaborate between the University of Nevada, Reno, other higher education institutions, the state Technology Commercialization Manager, Karsten Heise and private industry, on June 4, 2012.
Erwin has established and operated a series of startup companies ranging in industry from business intelligence and software development to medical diagnostics technology. He began his career as a serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and moved to Nevada in 1999. In 2005, Erwin was honored as the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the State of Nevada, and has been recognized by the Kauffman Foundation for his fundraising strategy at Pria, one of his startups commercializing a point of care diagnostic technology developed at Stanford University, for which he raised $8 million in angel and corporate financing and established a partnership with a $2 billion consumer products company.
Most recently, Erwin co-founded Tahoe SUP, a designer and distributor of premium brand stand up paddle boards and accessories. Tahoe SUP rapidly established itself as the leader in flat water SUP market and has grown over 300% annually since inception.
“We are thrilled to have Doug join our team here at EDAWN,” said Mike Kazmierski, president/CEO of EDAWN. “Most of the leaders in the local entrepreneurial community were involved in the selection process and while there were many superb candidates that applied for this position, Doug really stood out as the best candidate. His experience as a successful entrepreneur and his connections with the regional entrepreneurial community as well as his link to Silicon Valley will help him work with the many entrepreneurs in the region to grow the companies of the future right here in Northern Nevada.”
In his position as Vice President of Entrepreneurial Development, Erwin’s responsibilities include managing the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Northern Nevada as well as assisting local small businesses and start-ups through their growth process. He will work with local incubation and start-up groups to help create new companies that will ultimately grow in the region and diversify the local economy. Within his position, Erwin will also act a liaison between private industry, the State of Nevada, the University of Nevada, Reno, the Desert Research Institute, and other higher education entities to assist in technology transfer efforts.
Erwin received a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Arizona. He is an Insignia Member of the Entrepreneurs Organization with over 7 years with the organization splitting time between the San Francisco and Reno chapters. He currently sits on the board of the Reno/ Tahoe Chapter and actively mentors a number of young entrepreneurs.
For more information about the EDAWN staff, please visit www.edawn.org/about-edawn/edawn-team.
EDAWN is a private, non-profit corporation founded by community leaders in 1982. EDAWN works to recruit and expand quality companies that have a positive impact on the quality of life in Greater Reno-Sparks-Tahoe. In 2012 Nevada was named the No. 3 Most Business Friendly Tax Climate by the Tax Foundation and Reno was among the 50 “Best Places to Live” in BusinessWeek magazine. For more information, visit www.edawn.org.
