Manufacturing an entrepreneurial economy is about more than just creating a healthy venture capital community and establishing various startup resources.

Attitude and culture are just as critical.

Entrepreneurial executives and economic development officials said Friday in Ann Arbor that Michigan’s economic revitalization hinges partly on its ability to cultivate a new entrepreneurial workforce.

“It’s probably happening a little bit slower than we would like to see, but I think we’re seeing a tipping point here,” said Kapila Viges, director of entrepreneurship activities for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “We aren’t going to stay in this entitlement mode. We’re shifting from entitlement to empowerment.”

Business leaders gathered to talk to fellow executives and student entrepreneurs at the University of Michigan’s 10th annual Entrepalooza symposium, part of the Ross School of Business’ Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Michigan’s corporate legacy is dominated by a few major companies that fostered a spirit of hard work that defines our workforce. But it’s also left us with a collective attitude that’s too wary of risk.

In Michigan, entrepreneurialism was often shunned in favor of corporate job security. But corporate loyalty is gone. Today, you can get laid off in any and every industry.

It’s much less painful to lay off yourself. Thus why I'd expect Michigan's major regions to gradually turn to entrepreneurialism as they witness the thriving entrepreneurial culture we're experiencing in Ann Arbor.

Our entrepreneurial resources are many: Ann Arbor SPARK, the New Enterprise Forum, the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, A2Geeks, the University of Michigan Business Engagement Center and Tech Transfer Office. Some would argue that a lack of resources precludes the rest of the state from pursuing an entrepreneurial culture.

True, the resources are helpful. But attitude is more important.

That’s the mindset of Adaptive Materials co-founder Michelle Crumm, whose company has attracted more than $35 million over the last several years to manufacture fuel cell systems in Ann Arbor.

Crumm acknowledged that when she started Adaptive Materials with her husband, Aaron, eight years ago, they originally questioned whether they were in the right state. Not anymore.

The strong manufacturing resources and entrepreneurial culture serve as intangible assets for the company.

“We don’t have the overhype-and-under-deliver mentality that that coasts have,” Crumm said. “I think we get a lot of credibility just because we’re a Midwest company, and we’re honest with our customers about what we can and can’t do.”

Nonetheless, attracting great managerial talent to move to the Ann Arbor region to lead companies threatens to undercut our entrepreneurial momentum.

Dug Song, a serial entrepreneur and community activist who’s in the midst of starting a new company, said “finding the senior managerial talent can be difficult.”

The Ann Arbor region, he said, needs to sing its own praises. That will convince great executives to move here.

Song is a Silicon Valley veteran who has galvanized the Ann Arbor tech community after deciding to become more involved with the local community a year ago. He said he wasn’t originally aware of the region’s history of entrepreneurial business success. In entrepreneurial hotspots like Austin, Texas, and Boston, however, successes are celebrated.

“Those communities have done a great job of celebrating their successes and telling a story of their history of entrepreneurship,” Song said. “We’re very modest, keep our heads down and great work ethic. But the flip side of that is: We don’t tell our story very well.”

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at nathanbomey@annarbor.com or (734) 623-2587 or follow him on Twitter.