WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan says a big focus of the agency in his second year on the job will be trying to “figure out a way” to boost entrepreneurship.

There are exciting things happening in the state, Hogan said in an interview, noting the state’s dead-last ranking in startup activity the past two years “doesn’t reflect” many of those activities.

But there is — and always will be — room to improve, he said.

“My tagline around here has been ‘continuous process improvement,’ and it doesn’t stop when all of a sudden you feel like you’re in the top 10 for something. If you’re ranked No. 6, how do you get to be No. 5?” Hogan said. “I’m a competitive person that way.”

Hogan, who spent 38 years as a commercial banker before joining the agency last October, says he’s been meeting with startup leaders to see what WEDC could do better.

But he’s also told them that the agency can’t come up with the silver bullet, though WEDC can play a major role in bringing different industry players together or helping with financing. Read the full story here.