NewVentures chief offers resignation

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By Tom Saul | Saturday, February 3, 2007 12:47 AM CST | () comments

Just two days after its president and chief executive officer spent his last day on the job, the head of DavenportOne’s NewVentures Center and Initiative has offered her resignation, effective Feb. 9.

Kim Kudrna, who has held the job since 2003, will leave to devote time to travel, planning a July wedding and to spend more time with her fiance, she said. She will continue to offer services as an independent consultant for the center, which provides resources for entrepreneurs and start-up companies primarily involved in high-tech ventures.

“My fiance is retired and we want to spend more time traveling and at our winter home in Florida,” Kudrna said.

Renay Robinson-Scheer, DavenportOne’s senior vice president for economic development, will take over management of the center and its related operations, said Betsy Brandsgard, acting president and chief executive officer of the chamber of commerce and economic development agency.

Brandsgard said she did not know yet whether Kundra’s resignation and the additional duties for Robinson-Scheer will mean a downsizing for the agency or how it fits into recent discussions about the direction of economic development in the Quad-City region.

“We will use the opportunity to reorganize our efforts to achieve even stronger results in economic development,” Brandsgard said. “After a while, we may hire someone new to help with (the NewVentures Center).”

Kudrna’s resignation comes as DavenportOne searches for a replacement for Dan Huber, former president and chief executive officer, whose last day was Wednesday. He left after eight years to join a firm with hotels in Davenport and Clinton, Iowa, where he will be a manager and partner.

Other economic development jobs that are or will be open in the area include the top job at the Quad-City Development Group, where Thom Hart agreed to step down to become a senior vice president for government relations and public policy, and the city of Davenport’s economic development director, where Clayton Lloyd will retire later this year.

The NewVentures Center and Initiative began operation in 2003. It offers a business incubator in space on the the first floor of a building at West 3rd and Ripley streets in Davenport. It also offers services to other businesses in the region. It currently has 15 clients.

Tom Saul can be contacted at (563) 383-2453 or tsaul@qctimes.com.