Jennifer Luengas-Otto
Hometown:
Storm Lake, Iowa
Connect: LinkedIn
Jennifer is excited about the innovation and impact the project will bring to her region of Iowa that will hopefully start the conversation for other rural communities. As a collaborative regional effort, her project will seek and implement a new way to fuel the region’s competitive potential, and she looks forward to engaging with the local business community to help them overcome any obstacles.
Jennifer is a second-generation immigrant originally born in California but raised in Storm Lake, Iowa. Growing up, she always knew she wanted to make a positive difference and impact but was not exactly sure in what field. In her early adulthood, she began a career in banking and started a new chapter in her life. In banking, she held positions from bookkeeping to real estate collateral valuation. Through this world, Jennifer challenged herself to get out of her comfort zone and grow her opportunities. She developed a proposal for two local banks, raising attention to the lack of Spanish resources in the area, with the goal of helping the Hispanic/Latino community build financial equity with access to credit, and create generational wealth.
Jennifer began showing up to community places and events, in an effort to be more involved with her community and seek solutions, even when she felt she did not fit in. Her network and connections grew, making each of these opportunities vital to her own personal and professional growth. Fast forward to the present, Jennifer will now have the privilege of joining other 64 talented individuals in the inaugural cohort of this program.
In her free time, she reads, cooks, and volunteers for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)- Carroll County, and LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens). She also serves on the leadership team for HUB 712 and is active in the newly formed non-profit promoting cultural inclusivity in her community.
ERC Project
Project Title:
HUB 712
Host Community or Region:
Iowa
Host Organization:
Carroll County Growth Partnership
HUB 712 is a transformative project designed to invigorate entrepreneurship-led economic development across nine counties in West Central Iowa where access to business resources, capital, and peer collaboration is scarce. The initiative targets areas still recovering from the pandemic's impact on area entrepreneurs by using a centralized structure to leverage funding and enhance small business outcomes. The ERC Fellow will play a crucial role as an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, guiding entrepreneurs to essential resources, providing coaching, and offering programming, especially those utilizing the HUB’s coworking spaces. The fellow’s involvement is key to the HUB 712, contributing to the region's competitive edge and connecting entrepreneurs across counties. The anticipated impact includes enhanced resource access for entrepreneurs, increased business activities, and stronger regional economic development. The project's success will catalyze growth and strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit across the following nine counties in West Central Iowa: Carroll, Greene, Guthrie, Audubon, Shelby, Crawford, Sac, Calhoun, and Ida counties.
Interested in supporting this project or learning more? Contact the ERC program team here.
