Feb. 14, 2011

Launch hopes to provide students with entrepreneurial inspiration

MITCHELL, S.D. — Business is all about strategy, entrepreneurship is all about innovation, and Launch is all about helping students make that connection.

Launch ’11 will bring young entrepreneurs back to Dakota Wesleyan University for the sixth annual statewide gathering of minds, ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. The annual conference will be Thursday, Feb. 24, at DWU.

The day’s events begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m. at Dakota Wesleyan University in the Sherman Center and Rollins Campus Center. Attendees can register at www.dwu.edu/SDLaunchConference, or call 800-952-3562 or 605-665-4408.

“South Dakota Launch ensures the state’s entrepreneurial spirit is cultivated each year,” said Michael Simmons, the keynote speaker at this year’s Launch. Simmons is a co-founder of Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (EET) and is an award-winning entrepreneur and best-selling author of three books, and in 2006, he was named by Business Week as one of the Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25.

“Through the conference, organizations from across the state are brought together to share information and resources on entrepreneurship education while the state’s youth are educated and inspired about how they can use the entrepreneurial mindset in their own lives and careers,” Simmons said. “The impressive turnout each year is testament to the interest and involvement of organizations all over the state.”

Launch includes keynotes, exhibits, workshops and a Q&A with young entrepreneurs from throughout the country. Students will brainstorm with business professionals and meet like-minded students through networking events while faculty learn to integrate innovative and creative thinking into their respective disciplines.

“We want to provide students with an opportunity to work with their ideas, gain insight from others, and begin to think about strategy so that their dreams may be brought to life,” said Rhonda Pole, director of the Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship at DWU, and conference coordinator for Launch for the past six years. “Launch is about bringing people of all backgrounds together to discuss how they made it happen. It’s a tool for learning and networking.”

Partners in the event include: Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship at DWU, the South Dakota Small Business Development Centers, the Enterprise Institute, South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development, South Dakota EPSCoR, and the South Dakota State University Entrepreneurship Program.

Launch began six years ago when people from each of these groups got together and decided to create a state-wide opportunity for entrepreneurs to share their knowledge. Many students have taken advantage of the opportunity to learn more about what they’re interested in – creating businesses.

Don Jorgensen, a 1986 DWU alumnus and anchor for KELO TV, will give an opening address this year, followed by break-out sessions with speakers.

The speakers for this year include:
Nick Friedman, president and co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk, an innovative and award-winning junk removal company
Kathleen Wright, co-founder of Nest Collaborative; sales and marketing director for Nest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries
Dr. David Deeds, the Schulze Chairman in Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas and the director of the Morrison Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Lori Cowman with the Planning and Development District III in Yankton, who was named Minority Small Business Champion of the Year in 2005 by the South Dakota Small Business Administration
Belinda Engelhart, regional director of the Watertown SBDC office, one of six Small Business Development Centers in South Dakota
Rebekah Scott, owner and designer for Rebekah Scott Designs, which makes unique custom-made handbags and accessories
Luke Schuetzle, a producer, actor, and owner of Schuetzle Company Productions and www.1944newsletter.com
Jenna Aukerman, owner of Coffea Roasterie & Espresso Bar in Sioux Falls

Michael Simmons will be the keynote speaker. Simmons co-founded Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (EET) with wife, Sheena Lindahl, after graduating from college in 2006.

EET provides practical advice not just for business school students, but those interested in creating their own opportunity. Whether they’ve studied philosophy or computer science, the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour encourages students to think like a savvy business owner and apply an entrepreneurial mindset to whatever career they choose.

The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour has held more than 120 events throughout the country and has attracted more than 500 people at tour events. The organization has received the Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations and the Program of the Year award from Northern Michigan University.