Jan. 14, 2011

Launch to make sixth appearance at DWU

MITCHELL — The South Dakota Entrepreneurship Education Conference, Launch ’11, is bringing the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (EET) to Mitchell to inspire students to create their own path during one of the worst economic downturns in 80 years.

The annual conference, set for Thursday, Feb. 24, at Dakota Wesleyan University, is geared toward advancing entrepreneurship education in South Dakota, and includes keynotes, breakout meetings, workshops and question-and-answer sessions with young entrepreneurs.

Launch ’11 is committed to helping entrepreneurs across South Dakota succeed in the changing economy, and all are invited to take part in the day’s events, which begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. The conference will be held mainly in the Sherman Center on the campus of DWU, with other breakout sessions in various parts of the building.

Students will brainstorm with business professionals and meet like-minded students through networking events, while faculty learn to integrate innovative and creative thinking within their respective disciplines.

The EET is the first-ever collegiate entrepreneur tour featuring successful young entrepreneurs. The keynote speaker for the conference is Michael Simmons, cofounder of Extreme Entrepreneurship Education, and bestselling author. Simmons and his company have been featured in five books and on the AOL Home Page, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, ABC, NBC and CBS and have received the Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations. In 2006, Simmons was named by BusinessWeek as one of the Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25.

Joining Simmons will be Nick Freidman, founder of College Hunks Hauling, and Rebecca Kousky, founder of NEST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. Dr. David Deeds, the Schultze Chairman in Entrepreneurship and the director of the Morrison Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, will discuss entrepreneurship education at the college level.

Local partners include the Enterprise Institute, DWU Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship, South Dakota EPSCoR, South Dakota Governor’s Office on Economic Development, South Dakota Small Business Development Centers and South Dakota State University Entrepreneurship Program.

Attendees can register at www.dwu.edu/SDLaunchConference or call 800-952-3562 or 605-665-4408. Waived registration fees for faculty and students are available for a limited time through the SD EPSCoR. Visit the Launch website to learn more at www.dwu.edu/SDLaunchConference/index.htm.