About Mark Burdette

I currently serve as Deputy Director of the West Virginia Small Business Development Center and Network Builder for WV BusinessLink, a service of the WV SBDC that connects entrepreneurs with resources across the state. I joined the WV SBDC in 2022 to lead WV BusinessLink and was named Deputy Director in 2025. I also serve on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and as an Ambassador for Right to Start in West Virginia, a national nonpartisan nonprofit championing the right to start a business.

In 2023, I became the first person in West Virginia to earn the Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP) credential from the IEDC. The EDP is awarded to economic developers who complete IEDC’s required coursework and pass an examination and peer interview. It recognizes expertise in entrepreneurship-led economic development (ELED), the practice of growing communities by helping people start and grow businesses.

Before joining the WV SBDC, my work spanned entrepreneurship development, manufacturing leadership, marketing, consulting, and coaching business owners.

From 2004 to 2008, I served as General Manager of the Advantage Valley Entrepreneurial League System® (ELS®). Modeled on the farm system of professional sports, the ELS® identified and developed entrepreneurial talent based on a ladder system of progression, organizing entrepreneurs into Success Teams led by performance coaches, as well as a service provider network to connect entrepreneurs with resources at their skill level and stage of business development. The Advantage Valley ELS® was launched with start-up funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and was later one of six programs nationwide selected for funding by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The work drew national attention, including The New York Times, and was featured in Investing in Entrepreneurs: A Strategic Approach for Strengthening Your Regional and Community Economy (Praeger, 2010), by ELS® designers Dr. Gregg A. Lichtenstein and Dr. Thomas S. Lyons. I wrote about the approach in “Manufacturing Entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs Are Made, Not Born” for Capacity magazine in 2005.

That work grew out of a statewide movement. In 2002, I became involved in the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Initiative (WVEI), that brought together key stakeholders that were champions to make entrepreneurship a core economic development strategy for the state. It was at the first West Virginia Conference on Entrepreneurship, in 2002, that Dr. Gregg A. Lichtenstein and Dr. Thomas S. Lyons introduced the ELS® to West Virginia. From 2003 to 2006, I ran the conference, bringing entrepreneurs, support organizations, and community leaders together each year.

Before that, I worked in the private sector. I co-founded Citynet and started and grew other West Virginia businesses in the technology and manufacturing sectors. Entrepreneurship has been at the center of my career for more than 30 years.

This site is where I share what I’m learning about entrepreneurs, ecosystems, and economic development.

About the EDP Credential

What is an EDP?

The Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP) credential is the second professional certification offered by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), after the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD). It recognizes expertise in entrepreneurship-led economic development.

What does it take to earn the EDP?

Candidates need at least two years of full-time economic development experience, must meet IEDC’s education requirements, and must pass the certification exam. The program was developed with SourceLink, with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Who was West Virginia’s first EDP?

Mark Burdette, recognized by IEDC as West Virginia’s first EDP-certified economic developer.