Entrepreneur Forums

Grab a sandwich and a soda, and join us for an hour of stimulating discussion about entrepreneurship at the ISU Pappajohn Center Entrepreneur Forums.

The Forums, held every other month during the school year, consist of a presentation by a guest speaker, followed by round table discussion. Guest speakers include entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, consultants, and business professionals. The Entrepreneur Forums are a great way to hear first-hand about the risks, challenges, and successes of entrepreneurial ventures.

Past Forum Presenters

Date	Speaker/Topic
September 17, 2010	AJ Pollard, Cody Ellens, and Jared Brown, Co-Founders, Avello Bioenergy Inc.
October 22, 2010	Don Schoen (former CEO MediNotes) and Justin Schoen (President, eComegy)
February 11, 2010	Kevin Maher, Founder, Global VetLink
February 12, 2010	Eliot Winer, Co-Founder, BodyViz.com
November 18, 2009	Christian Renaud, President & CEO, Palisade Systems, Inc.
October 9, 2009	Jerry Handsaker, President & Founder, Innovative Lighting Inc.
March 25, 2009	Linda Niehm - Rossmann Manatt Lecture: Innovations in Building Entrepreneurship in Iowa Communities
February 13, 2009	Duane Harris - Private Equity Fund Management
October 24, 2008	Ken Garrett - Reflections of an Angel Venture Investor
September 26, 2008	Doug Lewis, IDED, and Mike Upah, Pappajohn Center - Resources for Iowa Entrepreneurs
March 28, 2008	Mark Ballard, SugarDaddys.com
February 1, 2008	Suraj Kothari & Jeremas Saucedas, EnsoftCorp and Johnny Wong & Wallapak Tavanapong, Endometric, Inc.
November 9, 2007	Mary Beth Wilke, BigThinkingByTheHour.com
October 19, 2007	Marti and Richard Michell, Yours Truly Inc.
February 16, 2007	Hank Harris, Sirrah LLC
November 10, 2006	Abir Qamhiyah & Don Flugrad, iSEEK Corporation
September 29, 2006	Steve Nissen, DVM, Ph.D., Metabolic Technologies, Prarie Moon Vineyard & Winery
April 14, 2006	Marvin Walter, Owner, Dayton Road Development Corp.
October 28, 2005	Jeff Schulz, Owner, K. Renee.
March 2, 2005	Kevin Kinzler, Owner, Kinzler Companies.
April 15, 2005	Jamie Myers, VP, Regency Homes.
November 10, 2004	Peg Armstron-Gustafson, Owner and Founder, Amson Technology.
September 10, 2004	Curt Carlson, VP, Software Division, RuffaloCODY , Inc.
February 13, 2004	Dave Sly, Founder and CEO, Proplanner Topic: Starting Over Again. Is it Easier the Second Time?
November 13, 2003	Steven Lasky, President and Founder, Advanced Analytical Topic: Biotech Here, Biotech There, Biotech Everywhere
September 12, 2003	Lauren Kernan Smith (ISU Business) and Clark Smith (ISU Agriculture) Topic: Turning An Old House into a Thriving Bed & Breakfast
April 18, 2003	Walt Smith, CEO, ITWC Polyurethane and Founder of Cyko Inc. and Thombert, Inc. Topic: How to get going, keep going, and get a business started without lots of bucks!
February 7, 2003	Rowena Crosbie, Founder and President, Tero International, Inc. Topic: Becoming the Best Entrepreneur I Can Be!
November 1, 2002	Douglas Reichardt, CEO, Holmes Murphy & Associates Topic: Leadership: CEO's Mission
September 20, 2002	Brad Williams, Relationship Marketing, Inc. and former CEO, Raviant Networks Topic: Risky Business: Lessons from an Accidental Entrepreneur
April 26, 2002	Nick Vahanian, Newlink Genetics Topic: Launching a Biotech Company in Iowa
February 15, 2002	Clare Fairfield, AAVIN Venture Resources Topic: Investing in Companies
November 30, 2001	Shelley Coldiron, President of CombiSep, Inc. www.combisep.com Topic: Technology Start UP
October 26, 2001	Chris Clover, President & CEO of MechDyne Corporation www.mechdyne.com Topic: Boot Strapping Your Company to Success
October 5, 2001	Resources Available for entrepreneurs Bonus Session: Business Plan Writing
April 27, 2001	Peter Keeling, Director of Research for ExSeed Genetics www.exseed.com Topic: Biotech Start-Up
January 19, 2001	Joe Dunham, Senior Vice President Equity Dynamics, Inc. Topic: Venture Capital Deals
November 17, 2000	Kurt Heiar, CEO of Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc. www.aati.com Topic: Launching Technology Start-Ups
September 24, 2000	Roger Underwood, President & Founder, Becker Underwood Inc. www.bucolor.com Topic: How One Little Product Became An Entrepreneurial Success Story
March 24, 2000	Doug Jacobson, Founder & Chief Technology Officer Palisade Ames, IA Topic: The Benefits of Starting a Business: A Faculty Perspective
January 21, 2000	Steve Ringlee, VP & Treasurer, E-Markets, Inc. Topic: Launching An Internet-Based Company
November 19, 1999	Kenneth Kirkland, PhD, Executive Director ISU Research Foundation & Office of Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer. Topic: What Happens When I Create Intellectual Property at ISU?
September 17, 1999	Paul Juffer; Larson, Watson, Bartling & Juffer, Des Moines Topic: Forming a Start-Up Company
March 26, 1999	Beverly Evans, Davis, Brown, Koen, Shors, & Roberts, P.C. law firm Des Moines, Iowa Topic: Securities Law/Structure
January 22, 1999	Dr. Steve Nissen, CEO of Metabolic Technologies, Inc, Ames, Topic: Patenting a Product and Taking it to Market.
November 20, 1998	Keith Barnes, COO of American Meat Protein Corp., Ames Topic: How Does Management Maintain An Entrepreneurial Culture?
September 18, 1998	John Parks, President, ISU Research Park Corporation Steve Carter, Director, ISU Pappajohn Center Shelley Coldiron, CEO, Advanced Analytical Technologies Topic: What the Pappajohn Center & the Research Park can do for start-up businesses.
May 6, 1998	Jamie Wade, VP Engineering Animation, Inc., Ames Topic: Going Public: The Pot at the End of the Rainbow?
March 11, 1998	Ray Johnson, President & CEO, RocketChips, Inc. Topic: Growing a Technology Company
January 21, 1998	Jerry Handsaker, President & Founder of Innovative Topic: I got my Patent...Now What?
September 17, 1997	Jerry Manning, Author of "Selling Today" Jack Linge, Marketing & Sales Consultant Topic: Selling a New Technology