Jan 13, 2025 | 7:30am – Noon
Kahler Automation
808 Timberlake Rd
Fairmont, MN 56031
Launch or Enhance Your Business
Connect with businesses, community leaders, and experts in entrepreneurship from the University of MN and Extension for a workshop centered around food & ag business growth and creation in Martin County.
Should I attend?
This event isn’t for just new or soon-to-be entrepreneurs! The Growing in the GreenSeam Workshop for the leaders and owners of new and established businesses connected to agribusiness to better understand the variables that contribute to the success of your business in Martin County. There are many pieces to the puzzle when it comes to entrepreneurship. You will leave with stronger connections to your local leaders and fellow businesses and an understanding of how to grow your business here.
Invite Others to Attend!
Share this opportunity with business owners in the food, agriculture, or related industries who could benefit from attending this workshop. By sharing, you’re helping connect entrepreneurs to valuable resources, insights, and a supportive network that will empower them to grow and thrive within the GreenSeam Region. Pass it along and make an impact!
Register
Agenda
7:30 – Check In
8:00 – Breakfast and Welcome
Holly Callaghan, GreenSeam
8:30 – The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework
Neil Linscheid, University of Minnesota Extension
9:00 – Planning Your Business: The 6 Problems All Businesses Must Solve
Dr. Jeff Stamp, University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences
Entrepreneurs create value by solving problems for customers. Before they can serve customers in a market, all entrepreneurs must first solve 6 classic business problems to build a company that can compete in a marketplace.
10:00 – Networking Break
10:15 – The Entrepreneur Experience: The Start, Gaining Traction, The Scale
Panel of Local Businesses Moderated by Dr. Jeff Stamp
- Wayne Kahler, founder of Kahler Automation
- Ben Madsen, owner and president of Madsen Land Surveying
- Larry Baarts, Founder and president of Baarts Trucking, Inc.
11:15 – Q&A/Working Session
Meet Your Experts
Neil Linscheid
Neil Linscheid is an Extension Educator at the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality. His work is focused on supporting local leaders as they navigate economic changes taking place in their community. His mission is to teach, coach, and connect local leaders as they try to make informed decisions about their community‘s economic future. He received his master’s of public policy with a concentration in rural economic development and bachelor’s of political science degrees from the University of Minnesota. In addition to his professional work, Neil is active in economic development in his community where he has served as a member of his local city council, Economic Development Authority and community foundation.
Dr. Jeff Stamp "Stamp"
Dr. Jeffrey Stamp has over 25 years of world-wide experience in bringing out the creative best in business professionals and university students. He was the inventor, creator, and section manager of “Baked Lays”, for PepsiCo’s snack division Frito-Lay, which achieved $230 million in first year sales. Dr. Stamp also resided as the endowed chair of entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of North Dakota, which was ranked thirteenth in the 2008 review of the top twenty-five undergraduate programs in entrepreneurship by Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review of the 900 universities and college programs in the U.S. His research is focused on the creative and cognitive processes that entrepreneurs use in idea creation, technology innovation, and opportunity recognition.
