BOONE—Bryan Toney, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State University has received the Jerry W. Davis Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

The award recognizes outstanding accomplishment in entrepreneurial development. This is the first year the award has been presented.

Toney was recognized for his innovative, creative and visionary approaches to entrepreneurial development in the Appalachian Region, with the center receiving a $10,000 cash award.

The Center for Entrepreneurship was established in 2006 within Appalachian’s Walker College of Business. It is supported by an advisory board that includes successful entrepreneurs from the Boone area, Asheville, Hickory, Charlotte, Raleigh and Atlanta.

The center provides opportunities for Appalachian students and citizens throughout Appalachia to learn about entrepreneurship through expanded educational offerings, non-credit programs, and integrative experiences with entrepreneurial organizations in the region and around the world.

N.C. Governor Michael F. Easley congratulated Toney, saying, “Your visionary approach to entrepreneurial development has provided opportunities for students at Appalachian State University and people throughout the region. I commend your hard work and dedication to help students and citizens become successful entrepreneurs and spur economic development, particularly in our Appalachian Region.”

ARC federal co-chair Anne B. Pope praised Davis’ legacy and the selection of Toney. “Jerry Davis was an inspiration and role model for budding entrepreneurs in Alabama, Appalachia, and throughout the nation,” she said. “This award recognizes Jerry’s leadership and unique contributions to the economic development of the Appalachian Region and encourages others to follow his example. Its first recipient, Bryan Toney, has a track record of promoting the entrepreneurial values that Jerry championed. He was an excellent choice for this award, and we are pleased to support his continuing work in promoting emergent businesses and the jobs that go with them.”

Toney has more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and entrepreneurship educator. Since 1997, he has been a lecturer in the Department of Management at Appalachian. In addition to teaching, he helps lead a number of entrepreneurship activities, including serving as faculty advisor for the Association of Student Entrepreneurs (ASE).

Prior to joining Appalachian, Toney was the entrepreneur-in-residence for the DuPree School of Management at Georgia Institute of Technology. There he taught courses in entrepreneurship, management consulting, international business and business policy. He also developed two educational and networking programs for high growth businesses and led a venture capital roundtable group focused on emerging technologies.

Toney is also the former founder and CEO of Information Management Inc., a software development and systems integration company based in Atlanta. He began the company in 1985 and expanded it to 25 employees before selling it to private investors in 1994.

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