UW-Whitewater hosts state conference for young entrepreneurs

November 16, 2009

Scholarships are available for students interested in attending the Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Conference Thursday, Nov. 19 on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. The scholarships are available courtesy of the Office of Corporate Relations at UW-Madison and the Global Entrepreneurship Week initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The conference will be held in the Old Main Ballroom in the James R. Connor University Center. The event is co-hosted by UW-Whitewater's award-winning Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization as well as the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance.

The 2009 Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Conference is also open to the public and will feature established and emerging entrepreneurs as guest speakers.

Jordan Leahy, a sophomore and young entrepreneur, helped organize the conference. Leahy was named Wisconsin’s Youth Entrepreneur of the year in 2006 and was also one of three winners in the Acton Foundation's "Take an Entrepreneur to Lunch" national essay contest in 2008.

"Becoming an entrepreneur is something that is often overlooked by people not in the business field," Leahy said. "Only 20 percent of entrepreneurs who graduate college are from the business school; entrepreneurs come from every discipline."

Bill Dougan, adviser for UW-Whitewater's Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization, feels the conference will be a great way to bring entrepreneurs of all ages to the university and have the opportunity to benefit from the experience of the key speakers.

The featured presenters are some of the best in their respective fields and are people that young entrepreneurs can learn a lot from, Leahy said.

"The presenters are top-of-the-line," he said. "They are all outstanding, driven and charismatic individuals."

Students can register for the conference online at invention2venture.org for only $10. Scholarships are available courtesy of the Office of Corporate Relations at UW-Madison and the Global Entrepreneurship Week initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Students should pay the $10 registration fee upfront, attend the conference and send a short summary of their experience at conference and what they learned to Doug Bradley at the UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations at bradley@ocr.wisc.edu. Up to 150 students will be reimbursed.

Leahy hopes that students will take advantage of this opportunity to learn form successful professionals and take what they learn and apply it.

"I hope that through the conference they (attendees) are going to realize that they can do what they want to do and that they have the confidence to take the next step," he said.

For more information on the conference, visit uwwceo.org.

Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Conference presenters:

• 10 a.m., "What Investors Like to See," Scott Button, managing director, Venture Investors LLC
• 11:15 a.m., "Technology Partnerships in the Fast Lane," Scott Resnick and Jon Hardin, Hardin Design and Development
• 1:30 p.m., "Creativity and Passion - Don't Start Your Business Without Them," James Schneider, business trainer and motivational speaker
• 2:45 p.m., "What it Really Takes to be an Entrepreneur," Greg Meier, executive vice president, PhysioGenix
• 4 p.m., "Start to Finish: The Legendary Toppers Pizza," Scott Gittrich, owner, Toppers Pizza