Cayce joins national ‘America the Entrepreneurial’ campaign

During its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Cayce City Council adopted an “America the Entrepreneurial” proclamation recognizing 2026 as a year to celebrate entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial spirit.

America the Entrepreneurial is the national campaign to renew America’s entrepreneurial promise in the 250th anniversary year of the United States, which organizers call “the world’s greatest startup.” Mayor Elise Partin joined America the Entrepreneurial as a founding mayor earlier this year.

“Cayce has always been a city where people with big ideas can find a place to put those ideas into action,” Partin said. “Our entrepreneurs, small businesses and local innovators bring energy, creativity and opportunity to our community every day. Joining America the Entrepreneurial and issuing this proclamation is a way for us to celebrate that spirit while reaffirming our commitment to creating a community where people feel encouraged and supported to start something new, take a chance and build a future here. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we’re proud to recognize that the entrepreneurial spirit is not just part of our nation’s history, it’s an important part of Cayce’s future.”

America the Entrepreneurial calls for a revival of the spirit that built the nation, a promise that anyone should be able to shape a better future, according to a news release.

“Reviving the spirit is crucial because new and young businesses create virtually all net job growth in America,” the release says. “Every 1% increase in entrepreneurial activity in a state correlates with a 2% decline in poverty.”

America the Entrepreneurial is an initiative of Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization advancing entrepreneurship as a civic priority, and More Perfect, an American alliance dedicated to revitalizing democracy. It has already attracted a National Advisory Council of leading champions of entrepreneurship. The campaign will expand to engage individuals, organizations and government leaders and their jurisdictions nationwide in the months ahead.

The campaign recently released three playbooks designed to engage and activate those three separate audiences — individuals, organizations (“partners”) and government leaders and their jurisdictions — in support of entrepreneurship. Each playbook contains a list of possible actions as well as explanatory information.

“Making it easier to found and grow startups and small businesses is crucial to the American economy and the American Dream,” said Kim Lane, executive director of America the Entrepreneurial and chief operating officer of Right to Start. “The beauty of entrepreneurship is that it benefits everyone, and every community can gain from having more new businesses and more economic vitality.”